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Earthquake Death Toll in Turkey Exceeds 38,000: Statement

ERBIL (Kurdistan Chronicle) — Death toll from the twin earthquakes which jolted Turkey on February 6 has reached 38,044, country's disaster agency said on Friday. 

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes also left 108,066 people injured and 216,347 civilians displaced, according to the latest statement by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). 

The quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces as well as parts of northwest Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin. 

In Turkey only, the government says over 13 million people are affected by the disaster. 

Kurdistan first responders and rescuers are among 5,654 foreign personnel from 66 nations who are currently working in the disaster zone. 

Earlier this week, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani visited the affected areas and met with families to “share their pain and express Kurdistan’s solidarity.”

He later met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and pointed out in a press conference that the people of Kurdistan stand by the people of Turkey during the hard times. 

Turkey has recorded more than 4,000 aftershocks since February 6 which is believed to put more lives at risk. 

The government said on Thursday that they are planning to demolish tens of thousands of insecure buildings before beginning the reconstruction operations. 

Over the border in the Syrian Kurdish areas of Afrin, according the Syrian government and the United Nations, more than 5,800 people have died. 

Earlier today, medics in northwest Syria raised serious concerns over many unaccompanied children that have been reported in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

The UN says more than two million children live in the enclave, many of whom have grown up knowing only displacement and war.

Their situation has “significantly worsened post-earthquake”, says a UN report. “The mental toll is particularly worrisome as many children, women and the elderly reportedly suffer from severe shock and panic,” it added.