UN: 7 million children affected by earthquake in Turkey, Syria

The United Nations said that more than seven million children were affected by the devastating earthquake that struck in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Monday and also expressed concern over the killing of “several thousand” others.

“In Turkey, the total number of affected children in the 10 provinces hit by the two earthquakes is 4.6 million. In Syria, 2.5 million children are affected,” James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

“UNICEF fears that several thousand children will be killed,” Elder added.

He warned that “even without verifying the numbers, it is tragically clear that the numbers will continue to increase.” Elder feared the final outcome would be “mind-boggling”.

He expressed his fears that, given the “catastrophic and ever-increasing death toll, it is clear that many children will lose their parents in these devastating earthquakes.”

On February 6, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by another with a magnitude of 7.6 hours later.