Turkiye-Syria quake death toll could top 50,000 says UN's top relief official

Colombo (News 1st) - The UN's top relief official has warned that the death toll in the Turkiye-Syria earthquake could double from the present number, which would take it to over 50,000 deaths.

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN, on Saturday told reporters in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, which was devastated by the first quake, "I think it is difficult to estimate precisely as we need to get under the rubble but I'm sure it will double or more." 

As of Sunday morning, the death toll had risen to 30,000 killed and over 87,000 injured. Of the deaths, 25,000 were in Turkiye and 5,000 in Syria.