The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has estimated that the damage caused by last month's massive earthquake in T?rkiye exceeds $100 billion (approximately 130.6 trillion KRW). This figure is nearly three times the $34.2 billion (about 44.7 trillion KRW) damage estimate provided by the World Bank (WB).
On the 7th (local time), Louisa Vinton, head of the UNDP T?rkiye office, stated in a briefing, "Based on current calculations, it is clear that the scale of earthquake damage in T?rkiye will exceed $100 billion."
She added, "Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed by the strong earthquakes in T?rkiye, and in Hatay Province, where the worst damage occurred, the situation is apocalyptic. While there is a high demand for funds to support recovery efforts, resources remain insufficient."
Vinton explained that the preliminary damage figures compiled by UNDP will serve as the basis for data at the donor conference for earthquake recovery in T?rkiye and Syria, scheduled to be held in Brussels, Belgium, on the 16th.
On the early morning and afternoon of the 6th of last month, powerful earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 struck the southeastern region of T?rkiye and the northwestern border area of Syria, respectively. These quakes resulted in 51,000 deaths and the collapse or damage of nearly 200,000 buildings. Approximately 2 million people were displaced.
The damage estimate announced by Vinton from UNDP significantly exceeds the estimate released by the WB last month. The WB reported that the direct earthquake damage in T?rkiye amounted to $34.2 billion. The WB also estimated that reconstruction costs could be two to three times the direct damage amount.
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