Over 8,000 truckloads of debris carried every day: Minister
HATAY
More than 8,000 truckloads of debris are being carried every day in the quake-hit province of Hatay’s Antakya and Defne district, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has stated.
Just after minutes when the first earthquake occurred in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, 26,000 buildings had already collapsed, Soylu said, pointing out the magnitude of the disaster in which more than 50,000 people lost their lives.
Hatay experienced the most severe destruction in the earthquakes, while several historical, commercial, religious and cultural structures collapsed.
Reminding that workload density is excessive in the debris removal efforts, Soylu noted that over 800 excavators are operating in the field.
In the Antakya and Defne districts alone, over 8,000 trucks of debris are left at the dump sites every day, he noted.
As of March 29, more than 36 percent of the debris of the building that collapsed in the earthquake zone has been removed and brought to the dump sites so far, Soylu pointed out.
Providing information on the expected time of the debris removal works to end in the earthquake zone, Soylu stated that except for the Antakya district, the entire debris of the collapsed structures and demolished buildings by the ministry will be removed from the earthquake zone by the Ramadan feast.
Soylu added that for Antakya, which experienced excessive destruction in the earthquakes, this period may extend up to 10 days after the feast.
Stating that the government works in the quake zone to improve several areas such as education, health, providing children’s social spaces and psychosocial support in tent cities, Soylu said, “Every issue is taken care of with its smallest details.”
