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Türkiye Earthquake Damage Set to Exceed $100 Bln, Says UN Agency

This picture shows collapsed buildings in Hatay on March 6, 2023, one month after a massive earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye. (AFP)
This picture shows collapsed buildings in Hatay on March 6, 2023, one month after a massive earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Earthquake Damage Set to Exceed $100 Bln, Says UN Agency

This picture shows collapsed buildings in Hatay on March 6, 2023, one month after a massive earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye. (AFP)
This picture shows collapsed buildings in Hatay on March 6, 2023, one month after a massive earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye. (AFP)

Damage caused by a devastating earthquake in Türkiye will exceed $100 billion, a UN Development Program official told a press briefing on Tuesday ahead of a major donor conference next week.

"It's clear from the calculations being done to date that the damage figure presented by the government and supported by...international partners would be in excess of $100 billion," said the UNDP's Louisa Vinton, by video link from Gaziantep.

More than 52,000 people were killed in Türkiye and Syria by the Feb. 6 earthquakes, with many being crushed or buried in their sleep.

The provisional damage figure, which Vinton said covers just Türkiye, is being used as a basis for a donor conference to mobilize funds for earthquake victims in Brussels, Belgium on March 16, she added.

The World Bank previously estimated the Türkiye damage at around $34.2 billion.

Vinton described the scenes in Türkiye’s worst-hit Hatay province as "apocalyptic", saying hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed.

"The needs are vast but the resources are scarce," she added.

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4.7 Magnitude Quake Rattles Los Angeles Area

FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
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4.7 Magnitude Quake Rattles Los Angeles Area

FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - This aerial view shows the Malibu Pier in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the Los Angeles area Thursday morning, swaying lamps and jolting some people from bed. No injuries or damages were immediately reported.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered 4 miles (7 kilometers) north of Malibu and was about 7 miles (11 kilometers) below the surface.
The jolt was felt as far as 45 miles (72 kilometers) away in Orange County, where people reported items moving in their homes, The Associated Press reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said fire authorities were surveying the city for damage, as was the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Rene Vasquez, manager at The Country Kitchen breakfast place in Malibu, said the shaking lasted a few seconds and kitchen staff ducked outside as a precaution, but there was no damage.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Vasquez said. “Thank God nothing fell.”
People, including several celebrities, took to social media to post they were awakened by a jolt.
Hotel heiress and media personality Paris Hilton wrote on X, “That #Earthquake was scary.” Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian posted: “Damn that was a big one.”
Some residents said they were alerted by the state’s earthquake early warning system.
The quake comes as the region has been dealing with three major wildfires burning east of Los Angeles that torched dozens of homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The blazes erupted during a blistering heat wave that has just subsided.
A number of quakes have been felt in the area in recent months, including a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in August that rattled nerves from the Los Angeles area to San Diego, swaying buildings, knocking items off shelves and setting off car alarms. The temblor caused a pipe to burst at the ornate 1927 Pasadena City Hall building.