Workers walking in front of a crumbling building

UNDP's response

Türkiye-Syria
earthquakes

 

On Monday 6 February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-east Türkiye, close to the town of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border. Several hours later another 7.5 magnitude quake hit nearby. More than 50,000 people died, and the death toll continues to rise as more bodies are retrieved from the rubble. The scope and scale of the disaster are unprecedented. Recovery and reconstruction will take years to complete. 

In Türkiye 273,000 buildings have been destroyed. In north-west Syria over 9,100 buildings have collapsed, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. With so many buildings destroyed, UNDP’s early estimates are that up to 210 million tonnes of rubble will need to be cleared in Türkiye alone. The estimated area of debris is equivalent to an area 10 km by 10 km – equivalent to 14,000 football fields covered in debris piled one metre high.  

The destruction in Türkiye has left 3.3 million people displaced and 2.3 million homeless and will require the construction of 650,000 new housing units to compensate. The UNDP Türkiye Country Office is supporting the Government to remove rubble first – clearing the way for vital deliveries of food, water and other supplies, and to begin work to restore livelihoods and revive small businesses.

UNDP Syria is supporting the emergency humanitarian response through its mandate in early recovery in crisis and post-crisis settings. It has field offices in all affected Government-held areas and an office in Gaziantep servicing the northwest.  

UNDP priority interventions include emergency support to businesses and individuals to ensure that affected people receive an income; environmentally sound debris and rubble management to keep humanitarian operations safe and prevent the spread of diseases; urgent support to get essential services up and running where needed, especially healthcare and water; as well as protection and restoration of damaged cultural heritage.

UNDP is well positioned to provide support to this effort, drawing on its decades-long presence in the region and its wealth of global experience in helping countries rebuild after earthquake disasters.

Flash Appeal for Türkiye    Flash Appeal for the Syrian Arab Republic  

Türkiye in numbers

48,448

people

killed

3.3 million

people

displaced

273,000

buildings

destroyed

Syria in numbers

5,954

people

killed

392,000

families

displaced

8.8 million

people

affected