The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) claimed in a tweet on Tuesday that thousands of bodies have yet to be recovered four months after a pair of devastating earthquakes struck Turkey.
According to official figures, the earthquakes have resulted in over 50,000 deaths. The body of a woman in her twenties was recently found in the rubble of a collapsed building in Adıyaman’s Turgut Reis neighborhood.
The two major earthquakes, measuring 7.8 and 7.6, struck on February 6, causing widespread devastation across multiple provinces in Turkey’s south and southeast, as well as in parts of Syria. Thousands of buildings were flattened by the first quake, which hit while many people were still asleep and unable to evacuate.
6 Şubat depremlerinin üzerinden dört ay geçti. Halen binlerce cenazeye ulaşılamadı. Hatay’da dört meslektaşımızın cenazesi ile ilgili bir bilgiye de ulaşamadık.
TTB olarak deprem bölgesindeki çalışmalarımıza devam ediyor ve herkesi dayanışmayı büyütmeye çağırıyoruz.
— Türk Tabipleri Birliği (@ttborgtr) June 6, 2023
The TTB has called for increased solidarity in the face of the disaster. The association disclosed that they have been unable to obtain any information regarding four of their colleagues in Hatay.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has faced severe criticism for its poor response to the catastrophe.