GENEVA: The big earthquake that has killed thousands in Turkey and Syria may have an impact on up to 23 million people, the WHO warned on Tuesday (Feb. 7), promising long-term assistance.
According to event overview maps, up to 23 million people may be at risk, including about five million vulnerable populations, according to senior emergency officer Adelheid Marschang of the World Health Organization.
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In particular in Turkey and north-western Syria, she noted, “Civilian infrastructure and maybe health facilities have been harmed throughout the impacted region.”
Marschang stated to the WHO executive council in Geneva that the organization “considers that the biggest unmet requirements may be in Syria in the immediate and mid-term.”
She talked while rescuers searched for survivors in Syria and Turkey despite bitter cold, earthquake aftershocks, and crumbling houses.
