Death Toll from Earthquake in Turkey Approaches 20,000

According to the latest data, 19,875 people have lost their lives due to the earthquakes in Turkey. This information was reported by Anadolu, citing Turkish authorities.

It is also reported that 79,717 people have been injured. Earlier today, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan acknowledged that the government has not been able to address the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and debris removal as quickly as he would have liked. According to Hurriyet, he made this statement in the city of Adiyaman.

“So many buildings have been destroyed over such a large area that despite having assembled the world's largest search and rescue force of over 140,000 personnel, we have still been unable to accelerate the work to proceed at the right pace,” he said, noting that rescuers are working under challenging weather conditions.

The president added, “Another obstacle for us has been the fact that the region is currently experiencing an intense winter season, which we haven’t faced in a long time.”