Osmaniye: The Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes in southern Trkiye took an economic toll of $104 billion in direct costs, while the indirect costs amounted to $150 billion, the nation's president said Friday. "These earthquakes, one of the greatest disasters in our history, had a direct cost to our economy of $104 billion and an indirect cost of $150 billion," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a commemoration event in Osmaniye, southern Trkiye.

According to Anadolu Agency, Erdogan highlighted the unity and resilience demonstrated by the Turkish state and its people in the aftermath of the disaster. He underscored how the nation collectively addressed the challenges posed by the quakes, stating, "We showed the world Trkiye's strength once again." Erdogan also criticized individuals and groups he referred to as 'earthquake tourists,' accusing them of exploiting the situation for personal gain without offering substantive assistance to those affected.

Erdogan further elaborated on the government's efforts in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected areas. He noted that within three years, significant progress had been made, with 455,000 houses delivered to survivors in the provinces impacted by the earthquakes.

The earthquakes, which were centered in the southern province of Kahramanmaras, resulted in widespread devastation across 11 provinces in southern Trkiye. This natural disaster led to tens of thousands of deaths and caused significant damage to infrastructure and housing.

A report by the Turkish Strategy and Budget Office indicated that Trkiye has allocated a total of 3.6 trillion Turkish liras, approximately $91.5 billion, over the past three years to address the damage and facilitate recovery efforts, particularly in the regions of Kahramanmaras and Hatay.