One Week Since the Turkey-Syria Earthquake... Death Toll Exceeds 35,000

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The official death toll in both T?rkiye and Syria, hit by a strong earthquake, has surpassed 35,000.

On the 13th (local time), T?rkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced that the total number of deaths in the country reached 31,643. In Syria, which shares a border with T?rkiye, at least 3,581 people have died and about 5,200 have been injured.

The combined death toll in the two countries, as compiled by foreign media, stands at 35,224, far exceeding the damage caused by the 2003 Iran earthquake (31,000 deaths).

In particular, the number of casualties in Syria, where relief and recovery operations have not been properly conducted, is estimated to be higher than the official government figures.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated in a press release that at least 4,300 people have died and 7,600 have been injured in Syria alone. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the death toll in Syria to be 9,300 during a press conference the previous day.

As a week has passed since the earthquake, the chances of survival for those buried under rubble are decreasing, and the death toll is expected to rise accordingly.

Professor Reynoso, who studied the survival chances inside collapsed buildings due to earthquakes, explained, "The likelihood of survival for people trapped in debris drops significantly after 5 days, and although there are exceptions, it approaches 0% after 9 days."

The cold weather in the area is further reducing the chances of survival. The temperature in the earthquake-affected areas of T?rkiye dropped to minus 6 degrees Celsius last night.

Meanwhile, the Korean emergency relief team has rescued a total of 8 survivors and recovered 18 bodies as of today.