(Washington) The earthquake measuring 7.8 on the open Richter scale and its numerous aftershocks that have rocked southern Turkey since February 6 have caused damage worth more than 34 billion dollars, a estimated Monday the World Bank (WB).
This sum is the equivalent of 4% of the country’s GDP in 2021, specifies the institution, which also adds that the estimate does not take into account the reconstruction costs, “potentially twice as high” according to the press release, nor the consequences for future Turkish growth.
The WB recalls that the aftershocks which continue to be recorded risk increasing the total amount of damage caused by the disaster. It also does not take into account the damage caused in northern Syria, also particularly affected by the earthquakes.
The latest occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday in Malatya province, resulting in the death of one person and dozens of injuries.
“This disaster reminds us that Turkey is located in an area of high seismic activity and that it is necessary to strengthen the resilience of both private and public infrastructure. The World Bank is committed to supporting Turkish efforts in this direction,” WB country director Humberto Lopez said in the statement.
The institution also specifies that the estimates concerning the last aftershocks are still in progress.
Some 10,000 aftershocks have taken place since February 6 in Turkey, according to Turkey’s public disaster management agency (AFAD).
In total, the recent earthquakes have killed more than 44,000 people in the south and southeast of the country, according to the latest official report.
The February 6 earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, destroyed or severely damaged more than 170,000 buildings in eleven provinces of the country and also affected the north of neighboring Syria.
The affected Turkish provinces, among the poorest in the country, also hosted more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees, the WB said.