Syria TV conducted a survey that included a sample of Syrian refugees affected by the earthquake that hit the cities of southern Turkey and left thousands of victims and destroyed cities. The survey found that approximately 20% of Syrian families in the earthquake area lost members of their families.
Based on a survey by the Syria TV website, over 50 percent of Syrian refugees affected by the earthquake are residing in Hatay province, with a significant number living in the city of Antakya.
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The poll showed that 45 percent of the Syrian refugees affected by the earthquake were from the Aleppo governorate and its countryside, 16.7 percent were from the Hama governorate, 11.7 percent were from Idlib, and about 8 percent were from the Lattakia governorate.
According to the survey conducted by Syria TV, over 21.7 percent of Syrian refugees in the affected states reported that they lost at least one family member in the earthquake. Meanwhile, 26.7 percent of respondents stated that a family member was injured in the earthquake, and 3.3 percent said that at least one family member was still missing and had not been found under the rubble.
According to Turkish media reports, around 6,700 Syrian refugees lost their lives in the earthquake that hit ten provinces in Turkey. Some of the deceased were buried in Turkey, while others were sent to Syria to be handed over to their families. Approximately 1,400 funerals were transported through the Hatay border gate and around 914 funerals through the Kilis border gate. As per the latest update by the Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD), the death toll from the earthquake in the southern part of Turkey has risen to 41,020 as of Sunday evening.
Completely demolished houses
Regarding the level of damage to Syrian refugee homes in southern Turkish cities, 26.7 percent of the people surveyed said that their homes were completely destroyed, 40 percent had their homes severely damaged, and 76.7 percent of the Syrians surveyed had to leave the areas affected by the earthquake.
According to the correspondent of Syria TV, who toured most of the affected cities, the earthquake caused complete destruction to some of the streets in the city, with buildings being destroyed regardless of the year of construction. However, in other areas, the houses remained intact despite being built more than two decades ago and were not damaged by the earthquake.
The earthquake caused the loss of jobs for 78.3 percent of Syrian refugees living in the affected areas. Many industrial facilities were destroyed, while others were forced to stop operations due to the disaster. Despite the leave announced by Turkish authorities, which allowed all Syrian refugees in the affected cities to return to Syria, more than 90 percent of respondents expressed that they did not want to leave Turkey.
According to the statistics of January 2023, the number of Syrians in the southern regions of Turkey reached as follows: in Gaziantep 461,149 people, in Urfa 370,793, in Hatti 356,361, Adana 252,080 and in Kahramanmaraş 96,856 people.
In Kilis, the number of Syrians reached 87 686, in the province of Osmaniye, 38 661, in Malatya 31 376, in Adyman 22 252, and in Diyarbakir 21 670, while the number of Syrians in the province of Elazig was 12,230.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
