Turkey and Syria earthquakes death toll exceeds 41,000

The death toll from the Turkey-Syria earthquakes has crossed 41,000.

Confirmed deaths in Türkiye passed those recorded from the massive Erzincan earthquake in 1939 that killed around 33,000 people.

At least 35,418 people have died in Türkiye as a result of last week’s earthquake, making it the deadliest such disaster since the country’s founding 100 years ago.

The Syrian government and the UN say more than 5,800 people died in Syria.

While the death toll is almost certain to rise even further, many of the tens of thousands of survivors left homeless were still struggling to meet basic needs, like finding shelter from the bitter cold.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has acknowledged problems in the initial response to the 7.8 magnitude quake that struck early on Feb. 6 but has said the situation is now under control.

Erdoğan said 105,505 were injured from the quake centered around Kahramanmaraş and its aftershocks.

The president, who has referred to the quake as “the disaster of the century,” said more than 13,000 people were still being treated in hospital.