The powerful earthquakes that hit central Turkey and northwest Syria a week ago are “the worst natural disaster in the WHO European region for a century,” said Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation’s regional director for Europe.
“We are still learning about the magnitude of this. The exact cost is not yet known,” Kluge said during a Press briefing Today.
WHO’s European Region consists of 53 European and Central Asian countries, including turkey,
More than 31,000 people have been confirmed killed in Turkey, and nearly 5,000 have lost their lives across the border in Syria, he said, adding that the figures are expected to rise further. He said that 26 million people in both the countries are in need of humanitarian assistance.
WHO appeals for $43 million to support earthquake response, more likely to come.
“I expect this to at least double in the coming days as we get a better assessment of the scale of this crisis and the needs,” Kluge said.
With water and sanitation facilities affected, there are growing concerns over health issues, including spread of infectious diseases. Health facilities have also been badly damaged.
“According to Turkish officials, an estimated 80,000 people are in hospital, putting enormous strain on the health system, which itself has been badly damaged by the disaster,” Kluge said.
“We have launched the largest deployment of emergency medical teams to the WHO European Region in our 75-year history,” He added. Their goal is to support damaged medical facilities, focusing on the high number of trauma patients and those with catastrophic injuries.