At least 39,672 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country’s interior minister said Friday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Saying that the priority of the earthquake response is search and rescue, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu added in a televised interview said search and rescue efforts are continuing at over 20,000 collapsed buildings.
“Our preparations were for (a possible) Istanbul earthquake. But the Kahramanmaras fault line was also one of the important areas for us,” he said.
Over 264,000 personnel are currently working in the field, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said in an earlier statement.
Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.
A total of 5,377 foreign personnel from 65 nations are currently working in the disaster zone, the country’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.
He also said that 102 countries have offered assistance so far, and 23 countries have returned after completing their efforts.
On tents sent from abroad, Cavusoglu said at least 70,000 of them arrived and nearly 55,000 additional tents are awaiting shipment.