Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), operating under the Ministry of Interior, described the situation as unusual during search and rescue operations following the earthquakes registered in the southern region last week near the Syrian border. Since then, approximately 3,900 aftershocks have been recorded, underscoring persistent seismic activity in the area.
Orhan Tatar, the General Manager of Risk Reduction at AFAD, noted that a very strong aftershock occurred and that the situation remains atypical. To date, authorities have logged 3,858 aftershocks. Some locations show soil displacement exceeding seven meters due to the earthquakes, according to reports from Anadolu, the state-run news agency.
Separately, the Turkish Ministry of Urban Planning reported on its website that more than 50,500 buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged by the earthquakes. Official tallies indicate that the death toll in Turkey and Syria stands at around 40,000 people. These figures reflect consolidated briefings from the relevant governmental bodies.
The Ministry also noted that inspections were carried out on more than 387,000 buildings after the earthquakes. It stated that 50,576 structures were demolished due to either severe structural damage or a need for urgent demolition, while 11,114 buildings sustained moderate damage and 99,300 faced minor damage.
Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum stressed that damage assessment work continues and called the event the disaster of the century. He added that authorities will move quickly to demolish any structures that pose a risk and to replace them with safer housing options. These steps are part of a broader effort to accelerate reconstruction and improve resilience in the affected regions.