World Bank estimates Syria’s earthquake damage at $1.5 billion
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In a report publicized on Friday by the World Bank Global Rapid Assessment the direct damage of the February 6 earthquake in Syria is estimated at $1.5 billion away from broader economic impacts and losses for the country’s economy.
The World Bank’s report said that the earthquake “caused an estimated $5.1 billion in direct physical damages in Syria” and that four governorates – Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Idlib – where about 10 million Syrians reside received drastic damage.
At dawn on Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands and injuring much more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
The Syria Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) Report gives “a broad, preliminary assessment of the direct physical damages in Syria and their spatial distribution,” but without covering broader economic impacts and losses for the Syrian economy.
The GRADE report revealed that the severely affected governorate is Aleppo with 45 percent estimated damage, followed by Idlib with a 37 percent damage, and Latakia with 11 percent.
The Syrian government has declared the areas worst affected by Feb. 6’s deadly earthquakes – Latakia, Hama, Aleppo and Idlib – as “disaster zones.”
The report also estimated damages to residential buildings at about 48.5 percent, damages in non-residential buildings at 33.5 percent, and infrastructure damages at 18 percent.
“These losses compound years of destruction, suffering and hardship the people of Syria have been enduring over the past years,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Country Director for the Middle East Department.