Turkey Commemorates the Anniversary of the Devastating Earthquake

Turkey is observing the anniversary of the February 6, 2023 earthquake until Tuesday, marking the worst disaster in its modern history. The quake resulted in over 53,000 fatalities in the southeast of the country. The violent tremor, which lasted for 65 seconds, killed 53,537 people, according to the latest toll published by authorities on Friday, as they were buried under piles of concrete after the buildings in which they lived collapsed into ruins. Additionally, the death toll recorded in neighboring Syria reached 6,000, raising the toll in both countries to approximately 60,000, making it one of the top ten deadliest disasters in the past century. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described it as the "disaster of the century." The effects of the earthquake impacted eleven of Turkey's poorest provinces, causing damage to 14 million Turks, many of whom are still in shock. In total, more than 100,000 buildings collapsed due to the earthquake, and 2.3 million other buildings were damaged, with 700,000 people living in containers.