Almost half of the 46,000 people killed in Turkey-Syria earthquakes died in one province, mayor of Hatay claims, as US Secretary of State visits disaster zone

• Lutfu Savas told local broadcasters 21,000 people had died in his province alone
• This figure is more than half of the people who were killed across all of Turkey
• U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken is visiting the region today and inspecting USAID

The mayor of Hatay in Turkey has declared more than 21,000 people have been confirmed dead in the southeastern province amid last week’s brutal quakes – almost half the overall death toll of 46,000 people.

Lutfu Savas told local broadcaster HaberTurk that an additional 24,000 people had been injured, with makeshift medical facilities completely overwhelmed.

‘At least 80 per cent of the buildings must be demolished in Antakya,’ Savas said. Antakya is the capital of Hatay and the site of the ancient city of Antioch.

The number of confirmed deaths in Turkey due to the earthquake rose to 40,689, Yunus Sezer, head of the country’s disaster agency AFAD, said. Roughly six thousand more people lost their lives across the border in Syria.

Sezer told journalists in Turkey’s capital Ankara that search and rescue work in nine of the 11 provinces hit by the quake had ended as efforts focused on demolishing unstable buildings to prevent further deaths. 

Bird’s eye footage taken from above Turkey’s Hatay province shows the scale of the destruction. More than 21,000 people died in this province alone

Demolishing works and debris removal efforts continue after the powerful twin earthquakes hit Hatay on February 19, 2023

Lutfu Savas told local broadcaster HaberTurk that an additional 24,000 people had been injured in Hatay (pictured)

Rescue operations are ongoing in Kahramanmaras, the site of the epicentre and Hatay  ‘We continue these efforts every day with the hope of reaching a living brother or sister,’ he said.

But, there have been no signs of anyone being dug from the rubble alive since three members of one family – a mother, father and 12-year-old boy – were extracted from a collapsed building in Hatay on Saturday. The boy later died. 

READ MORE: ‘Death comes at a time when one least expects it’: Turkish teen captures hearts of a nation with emotional goodbye video from the rubble before he’s pulled alive hours later – as others survive being buried for more than 11 days after huge earthquake 

The death toll now sits at more than 46,000 across both Turkey and Syria, but the U.N. has said the full scope of the deaths may take time to determine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in southern Turkey early this morning and set off on a tour of the earthquake disaster zone, including of Hatay, accompanied by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Blinken is on his first trip to NATO ally Turkey since he took office two years ago and will visit a tent city in Hatay established for those displaced by the earthquake, before touring an aid distribution centre.

The top U.S. diplomat will also inspect American aid efforts and speak to members of USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team, a quick reaction group of disaster experts.

He will fly to Ankara later Sunday for discussions with Turkish officials on Monday, including an anticipated meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Some 105,794 buildings checked by Turkey’s Environment and Urbanisation Ministry are either destroyed or so badly damaged as to require demolition, the ministry said today.

Of these, 20,662 had collapsed, the statement said. The damaged or destroyed buildings contained more than 384,500 units, mostly residential apartments.

Turkey lies on multiple fault lines and as a result infrastructure legislation dictates that many structures must be reinforced and constructed in such a way as to comply with strict building codes.

There was a huge investment in the last 14 years since the 1999 earthquake of more than $1 billion on retrofitting buildings to ensure they comply with the standards, but most of that was done around Istanbul and Ankara – the big metropolises in the north.

In the southern provinces devastated by last week’s quakes however, a lack of oversight – and a loophole in government policy which allows builders and developers found to have fallen short of standards to pay fines rather than be forced to improve their buildings – means thousands of people likely died as a result of poor-quality building practices.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, walks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, following a helicopter tour of earthquake stricken areas of Hatay Province, at Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, following a helicopter tour of earthquake stricken areas of Hatay Province, at Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey February 19, 2023

Demolishing works and debris removal efforts continue after the powerful twin earthquakes hit Hatay on February 19, 2023

This photograph shows collapsed buildings in the city of Antakya on February 19, 2023

Eyup Muhcu, president of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, said it was ‘common knowledge’ that many buildings, including modern apartments built since the introduction of earthquake-proofing building codes, were not up to scratch.

Muhcu told the Associated Press that, by allowing developers to pay fines rather than re-do their shoddy work, Turkey’s government essentially legalised unsafe buildings.

Turkey’s disaster management said some 6,040 aftershocks hit the 11 provinces that form the disaster zone declared by the government in the days following the initial quake.

The initial quake was measured with a magnitude of 7.8, and was followed nine hours later by a 7,5 magnitude tremor.

Orhan Tatar, general manager of the AFAD agency, said 40 aftershocks were of a 5 to 6 magnitude, while one was recorded at 6.6.

‘It is extremely important to stay away from damaged buildings and not enter them,’ he told a televised news briefing in Ankara.

He also warned of ‘secondary disasters’ such as landslides and rockfalls.

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