Turkey earthquake damage set to exceed $100 billion: UN agency

This picture shows collapsed buildings in Hatay on March 6, 2023, one month after a massive earthquake struck southeastern Turkey. Credit: AFP Photo

Damage caused by a devastating earthquake in Turkey will exceed $100 billion, a UN Development Programme official told a press briefing on Tuesday.

"It's clear from the calculations being done to date that the damage figure presented by the government and supported by...international partners would be in excess of $100 billion," said the UNDP's Louisa Vinton, by video link from Gaziantep.

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She said the provisional figure is being used as a basis for a donor conference to mobilise funds for Turkey and Syria's earthquake victims in Brussels, Belgium on March 16.