Tent fire kills another girl in quake-hit Hatay

HATAY

A 17-year-old girl severely injured in the fire that broke out in the tent where she was staying in the southern quake-hit province of Hatay has died after her 25-day struggle for life, bringing the death toll to two.

The fire that broke out in the tent set up for earthquake victims in the garden of a school in İskenderun district wounded Ertuğ Veli Eker (18) and his sisters, Elif Mislina and Yeşim, early on March 26.

The sisters, whose conditions were critical, were transferred to Adana City Hospital after being taken to a hospital in Hatay’s Dörtyol district.

Four-year-old Elif Mislina lost her life the day after the fire despite all efforts. Her older sister, Yeşim, treated at the same hospital with a life-threatening condition for 25 days, could not be saved.

Hatay suffered the most damage in the twin earthquakes that rattled Türkiye’s south on Feb. 6. Operations, including controlled demolition of buildings and debris removal, continue in the province.

At least 50,500 people lost their lives in the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, while more than 13,000 aftershocks occurred in the region since Feb. 6.

Around 14 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

The damage caused by the earthquakes is estimated to be over $100 billion, according to a representative from a UNDP program of the United Nations.