According to the interior ministry on Friday, 53,537 individuals in Turkey lost their lives as a result of the devastating earthquake that struck southeast Turkiye last year, increasing the total number of fatalities by nearly 60,000.
The predawn disaster on February 6, 2023, claimed 1,414 lives in territories under its control, according to the government of neighboring Syria.
4,537 people have died in rebel-held areas of northern Syria, according to officials backed by Turkey.
The combined official death toll of 59,488 people makes last year’s quake the deadliest since 67,000 people died in Peru in 1970.
Turkiye’s previous official toll, released in the first weeks after the quake, put the number of deaths at 50,783 people.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya released the updated figures on the eve of the anniversary of the disaster, which affected 11 provinces across Turkey’s southeast.
Yerlikaya said the quake affected 14 million people in Turkey.
The predawn disaster on February 6, 2023, claimed 1,414 lives in territories under its control, according to the government of neighboring Syria.
4,537 people have died in rebel-held areas of northern Syria, according to officials backed by Turkey.
The combined official death toll of 59,488 people makes last year’s quake the deadliest since 67,000 people died in Peru in 1970.
Turkiye’s previous official toll, released in the first weeks after the quake, put the number of deaths at 50,783 people.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya released the updated figures on the eve of the anniversary of the disaster, which affected 11 provinces across Turkey’s southeast.
Yerlikaya said the quake affected 14 million people in Turkey.
