As Türkiye reflects on the solemn anniversary of the catastrophic earthquakes that struck 11 southeastern provinces on Feb. 6, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Friday revealed the official death toll was 53,537 people as he provided a comprehensive update on the nation's response and recovery efforts a year after the fact.
Yerlikaya recounted the swift and coordinated response initiated under the leadership of then-Vice President Fuat Oktay, including the declaration of a Level 4 emergency - the highest kind - by the Türkiye Disaster Response Plan and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), just 45 minutes after the earthquake occurred.
"Under the directives of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, all Cabinet ministers mobilized to coordinate relief efforts in affected provinces. A total of 708 civil administrators, including governors, chief civil inspectors, district governors and deputy governors, were dispatched to the earthquake region to bolster local leadership," Yerlikaya informed.
Key milestones in the response included the immediate deployment of search and rescue personnel, AFAD volunteers and construction equipment to the affected areas, according to the minister.
"Within nine hours of the first earthquake, individual tents were set up and international assistance began arriving with planes transporting search and rescue personnel and heavy tonnage vehicles," said Yerlikaya.
Tragically, a second earthquake, measuring 7.6 magnitude, struck Kahramanmaraş's Elbistan district just nine hours after the initial jolt. Despite the challenges, search and rescue efforts, as well as aid deliveries, continued tirelessly.
"The earthquakes caused extensive destruction across 11 provinces, 124 districts, and 6,929 villages and neighborhoods, covering an area of 120,000 square kilometers (over 46,000 square miles). A total of 53,537 lives were lost, with 107,213 citizens sustaining injuries, directly impacting 14 million people," Yerlikaya said.
The focus in the immediate aftermath centered on search and rescue activities and temporary shelter services. Yerlikaya said over 38,901 buildings were destroyed, and search and rescue operations were conducted in 26,000 occupied buildings.
"A remarkable 650,000 personnel, including 11,488 international and 35,250 search and rescue personnel, worked tirelessly alongside 142,000 security personnel."
The comprehensive response involved 20,000 vehicles and construction equipment, 141 helicopters, 182 aircraft and 23 ships. A total of 17,500 sorties were carried out by planes and helicopters.
Initially, 1 million tents were dispatched to the region, with some distributed individually, while 645,000 tents were strategically set up in 350 designated tent city areas. This initiative provided temporary shelter for approximately 2.5 million disaster victims. Simultaneously, the evacuation of 3.5 million affected individuals seeking refuge with relatives was coordinated.
Turkish Airlines (THY) made history during this period, undertaking 13,701 flights to transport over 2 million passengers, while facilitating the delivery of 32,770 tons of relief materials to the disaster zone through 712 cargo flights.
Amid this multifaceted coordination, the production of temporary shelter centers – container cities – commenced. The first individual container was installed on the second day of the earthquake, marking the beginning of life in the inaugural container city in Kahramanmaraş on Feb. 20.
Presently, 215,224 containers are included in 414 container cities, hosting 691,000 disaster victims.
After the earthquakes, meticulous attention was given to damage assessment and debris removal. Assessment teams evaluated 2.3 million buildings and 6,227,000 independent sections in the earthquake zone.
The debris of 60,421 urgently demolished and collapsed structures were successfully cleared within 68 days. For the 200,401 seriously damaged buildings, debris removal reached 166,602, achieving 91% volume clearance to date. Ongoing efforts are relentlessly focused on completing the remaining debris removal processes.
Yerlikaya emphasized the dedication and hopefulness of those involved in search and rescue efforts, citing unforgettable moments of resilience, determination and reunification that motivated continued diligence in the field.