Devastating 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Hit Turkey, Syria – Over 47,000 Dead

by Priya Chauhan in News

With the epicenter in southeastern Turkey, tremors were felt in Cyprus, Egypt and Lebanon

Update: February 20, 2023

Parts of Turkey experienced another earthquake of 6.4 magnitude on Monday, two weeks after the devastating earthquake that rattled Syria and Turkey, killing nearly 48,000 people. The new earthquake has killed three people and injured more than 200 in parts of Turkey.

More buildings have crumbled, trapping people, while many injuries were recorded in neighboring Syria too.  A dashcam documented the exact moment the new earthquake struck the Hatay province in Turkey.

Update: February 13, 2023

33,000 people have lost their lives in the devastation caused by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday last week that wreaked havoc in Turkey and Syria. Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities are targeting and blaming the contractors responsible for constructing the buildings that collapsed like houses of cards during the disaster.

So far, three people linked to the construction and development business – including two developers trying to flee the country – have been arrested. The authorities have issued warrants for 114 more.

Update: February 11, 2023

The number of deaths in Turkey-Syria has risen to 24,000 since the countries were rocked to the core on Monday. Emergency crews made a series of rescues in Turkey on Friday, pulling several people from the rubble four days after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed thousands in Turkey and Syria.

The below-freezing temperatures across the large region are causing difficulties for many people who have no place to shelter. The Turkish government has provided millions of hot meals, tents and blankets to the displaced people but many people in need are still left.

Update: February 10, 2023

The death toll in the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquake that rocked the Middle East on early Monday morning has surpassed over 21,000 even as search and rescue teams scrambled and sift through the rubble to find any survivors buried underneath the collapsed buildings. The US has announced $85 million to aid Turkey and Syria in dealing with the devastation caused by the natural disaster.

Update: February 9, 2023

The Turkey-Syria earthquake has killed over 15,000 people and the death toll kept rising amid search and rescue operations. According to the officials, at least 12,391 people have died in Turkey, while 2,992 have lost their lives in Syria, a country already torn apart by age-long civil war.

People criticize the slow search and rescue efforts as the hope of finding survivors is fastly fading. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted that there are shortcomings in his government’s response while he visited the affected southern Turkey regions.

People huddled around a fire amid rubble of collapsed buildings after the earthquake

Image: Suhaib Salem/ Reuters

Update: February 8, 2023

The death toll of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has reached over 8,700 people as search and rescue teams worked continuously to dig for survivors buried under the rubble of crumbled buildings. Time is of the essence as the harsh winter conditions are making rescue operations difficult and endangering the trapped people.

As the magnitude becomes more apparent, the death toll is likely to rise. Reportedly, thousands of children have died, while thousands have been orphaned. 13 million people out of the 83 million population have been affected by the crisis.

Update: February 7, 2023

Rescuers worked through the night to save people stuck under the rubble after hundreds of buildings collapsed during the first earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on early Monday morning. Meanwhile, the number of casualties has increased from 1,400 to 4,300.

Medical and disaster experts are afraid that “it is a race against time,” as it is winter in Turkey and Syria, and the people in need of rescue are susceptible to hypothermia and can succumb to it if search and rescue teams failed to reach them soon.

Nearly 65 countries including the US, the Netherlands, Romania, and South Korea are sending aid after Turkey issued an international appeal for help. Istanbul has sent over 14,000 personnel to help in search, rescue and relief operations. 

Turkey earthquake 7.8 magnitude

Image: AFP

Death and destruction woke the Middle-Eastern countries to a sorrowful morning. Monday morning brought devastation to central Turkey and northwest Syria when a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 shook the countries to their core. Over 4,300 people have died while thousands are left injured as buildings crumbled down across the region. Search and rescue teams are searching for survivors under the rubble.

Reportedly, a second earthquake in south-eastern Turkey struck the nation with its epicenter near the city of Kahramanmaras. The US Geological Survey has measured the strength of the second quake to be 7.5 in magnitude. The strong aftershocks and the possibility of more tremors are adding to fear and casualties.

The natural disaster has killed over 4,300 people, with at least 2,900 people in Turkey and over 1,400 people in Syria. The tremors from Turkey’s powerful earthquake were felt in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel and Lebanon as well. With experts warning that aftershocks could continue for days, the death toll is expected to rise.

7.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria

Image: AP

The epicenter of the quake was located about 32 kilometers from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital in the southeast of Turkey and about 26 kilometers from the town of Nurdağı. As per the US Geological Survey, the center of the quake was 17.7 kilometers below the earth’s surface. Reportedly, the cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis have suffered damage.

A snowstorm in Turkey and a tsunami in both Turkey and Syria are causing difficulties in search and rescue operations. Meanwhile, a gas pipeline near the city of Kahramanmaras has exploded due to the earthquake and the inferno is out of control. The emergency services are completely overwhelmed with rescue operations.

Images and videos of the devastation are blowing up on the internet, with nearly 45 countries already coming forth to aid the affected nations. Here are some horrific videos of the devastation.

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