WHO fears 20,000 dead after the earthquake in Syria and Turkey – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

– Unfortunately, we always see the same thing with earthquakes, that the number of dead and injured rises sharply during the week after the earthquake, says the World Health Organization (WHO) crisis manager in Europe, Catherine Smallwood to AFP. Smallwood’s warning came when the official figure was 2,600 dead and she says the final death toll could reach over 20,000. – We often see an eightfold increase in relation to the first figures, says Smallwood. She is followed a long way by the Swedish disaster doctor Johan von Schreeb. He tells SVT that he estimates that the number of dead could rise to between 10,000 and 15,000. – After a day, the chances of finding survivors in the rubble are very small, says von Schreeb, who is a professor of global disaster medicine. In Kahramanmaras in Turkey, the rescue work continued through the night. So far, no one has an overview of how many are in the ruins. Photo: ADEM ALTAN / AFP Almost 8,000 dug out alive So far, 4,365 people have died after the earthquake. In Turkey, 2,921 have been registered dead and 15,834 have been injured, reports Reuters. 4,748 buildings have collapsed in Turkey, says Vice President Fuat Otkay. He says that 7,840 people have been rescued from collapsed buildings. In Syria, the number of dead has reached 1,444. Around half have lost their lives in the rebel-controlled areas in the north of the country. Do not dare to enter Kahramanmaraş in Turkey, there were several minus degrees last night. Many still spent the night outdoors, either because their houses were destroyed or because they were afraid of more earthquakes. Whole families gathered around bonfires in the streets, with blankets around them to protect themselves from the biting cold. Neset Guler tells Reuters that he and his four children barely made it out of the house. – We are scared. We are thirsty. It is despairing, says Guler. The same scene repeats itself over large areas in Turkey and Syria. In the middle of the night, the most powerful earthquake measured in Turkey in over 80 years struck. In the hours that followed, there were dozens of noticeable aftershocks.



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