The rescue workers deployed in the earthquake area are still finding survivors. But soon only the salvage of corpses will be possible. The number of dead will then probably rise again massively.
According to UN estimates, after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the death toll may rise to more than 50,000. UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said during a visit to the earthquake area in Turkey on Sky News broadcaster that an exact estimate is still difficult, but the number of victims will certainly “double or more”.
The confirmed death toll had risen to more than 28,000 shortly after Griffith’s arrival. According to the authorities, 24,617 fatalities were recovered in Turkey by Saturday. At least 3,574 people died on the other side of the border in Syria, according to official figures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) now assumes that 26 million people in Turkey and Syria could be affected by the disaster, including around five million people who are already considered to be particularly vulnerable. According to the UN, at least 870,000 people in both countries have to be provided with warm meals, and up to 5.3 million people could have become homeless in Syria alone.
The risk of disease is now increasing in the affected regions. “In the regions where people have no access to clean drinking water, there is a risk of epidemics at some point,” said Thomas Geiner, a doctor with earthquake experience and part of the disaster relief team from the Navis association. “The art of the next few days will be to bring help to where it is needed.” Given the size of the region, however, it is almost impossible to provide the necessary infrastructure everywhere. The affected areas are larger than Germany.
Water could be contaminated by the many unrecovered corpses. In many places, people also do not have access to any type of toilet. This could also cause germs to get into the groundwater. Geiner said the situation on the ground reminded him of what happened in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The region saw every injury imaginable.
“Soon, the search and rescue workforce will give way to the humanitarian organizations tasked with caring for the extraordinary number of victims over the coming months,” Griffiths said in a video on Twitter.
According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, more than 1.5 million people have already sought shelter in tents, hotels or public emergency shelters. In addition, the school holidays have been extended and universities are switching to distance learning for the time being – student dormitories are also to be made available as accommodation for survivors.
