Damage to Turkey from February's earthquakes could exceed $100 billion, UN Development Program Turkey official Louisa Vinton said at a briefing Friday.
"It is clear today that the damage estimates presented by the government and supported by international partners will exceed $100 billion," Vinton said, speaking by video link from Gaziantep, Turkey.
Vinton called the situation in Turkey's hardest-hit province of Hatay "apocalyptic," saying hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed. "The needs are enormous, but resources are scarce," the international official added.
Earlier, the World Bank estimated the damage to Turkey's economy from the February 6 earthquakes at $34.2 billion, an amount that could rise because of ongoing aftershocks. Reconstruction and recovery from the disaster could cost Turkey even more. "The report also acknowledges that the cost of recovery and reconstruction will be much higher, perhaps double, and that GDP losses due to economic disruptions will also add to the amount of earthquake damage," the World Bank said.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes occurred on February 6 at 9-hour intervals in Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey. The ground quakes, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in 10 provinces of the republic and neighboring countries, of which Syria was the most affected. On Monday two new shocks with magnitude 6.4 and 5.8 were registered in Hatay province. The number of victims in Turkey exceeded 44 thousand.
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Based on materials from TASS