Search Efforts Halted in Turkey Except for Two Provinces

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced that Turkey decided on Sunday, after fourteen days since the earthquake on February 6, to halt search efforts for survivors in all areas except for the most affected provinces of Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. AFAD head Yunus Sezer stated, "Search efforts have ended in many provinces... and are continuing in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay, in about forty buildings," according to the French press agency. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, caused massive destruction in the southern region of the country and in Syria, resulting in the deaths of 40,689 people in Turkey, according to the final official toll published by the authority on Sunday. It is believed that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced in the disaster area in southeastern Turkey. Sezer mentioned that over a million local residents are currently living in temporary accommodation centers in the provinces affected by the earthquake.