Earthquake Damage Costs About $34.2B, World Bank Says
The major earthquake and its aftershocks that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 has caused about $34.2 billion in direct physical damage, according to the World Bank. Total reconstruction and recovery could cost twice as much, however, according to the world body. An estimated 1.25 million people were made homeless by damage to their homes, or their complete collapse. The World Bank already has provided immediate assistance of $780 million to Turkey, as well as $1 billion from a new emergency recovery project. The World Bank is expected to issue a separate damage estimate for Syria.
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Meanwhile, about 40,000 Syrians living in Turkey who were affected by the earthquakes returned to rebel-held northwestern Syria, Reuters reported. They were able to do so since Turkey eased restrictions on their movements. There are some 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey; In April, Turkey had banned Syrians with temporary protection permits from reentering the country if they left to visit their country of origin. Now, Turkey is allowing the refugees to visit their former homes and their relatives for six months and still be permitted to return.
