Revised Syria figures put quake death toll above 50,000

A devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria killed more than 50,000 people, in a toll revised by AFP that includes figures from both government and rebel-controlled parts of war-torn Syria.

A total of 5,951 people were killed across Syria, while Turkey recorded 44,374 deaths after the February 6 earthquake.

The new tally brings to 50,325 the total number of deaths caused by the disaster across both countries.

The Syrian government said 1,414 people had been killed in areas under its control, while Turkish-backed officials in Syria have put the death toll at 4,537 throughout rebel-held areas of the country.

A woman salvages a small stove and a gas canister, as search and rescue operations continue days after a deadly earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, in the town of Jindayris, in the rebel-held part of Syria’s Aleppo province, on February 10, 2023 (Mohammed AL-RIFAI / AFP)

The toll in areas outside government control includes deaths in territory held by rival rebel groups.

Local authorities relied on data collected from hospitals, medical centers and civil defense in Idlib and northern Aleppo province, health official Maram al-Sheikh tells AFP.

They also included civilian sources, he says, many of whom buried their dead without taking them to the hospital.

The toll was finalized with help from the Assistance Coordination Unit organization, a local United Nations partner.