It is reported that about 19,300 people have died after Monday’s earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 16,170 people have died in Turkey alone. In Syria, 3,162 deaths have been reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says humanitarian organisations now have the challenge of ensuring those who survived the earthquakes continue to survive.
WHO’s incident response manager says there are thousands of people now surviving “out in the open, in worsening and horrific conditions”, with disrupted access to water, fuel, electricity and communications, amid sub-zero temperatures
Relief efforts in Syria have been complicated by years of conflict, but the first convoy of aid for opposition-held north-western Syria reportedly crossed into the territory from Turkey. Deliveries of life-saving aid had been halted for four days due to damage to roads and logistical issues
There has been anger in Turkey over claims that emergency services responded too slowly to the incident, with some people waiting days for help to reach them
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday accepted the government had encountered some problems, but said the situation was now “under control”.
The ratings agency Fitch suggests the disaster could cause economic losses exceeding $4bn (£3.3bn).
“Economic losses are hard to estimate as the situation is evolving, but they appear likely to exceed” $2 billion and could reach $4 billion “or more”, Fitch Ratings said.
Insured losses will be much lower, possibly around $1 billion, due to low insurance coverage in the area, it added.