Turkey: 7.8 magnitude earthquake kills hundreds in southern Turkey and Syria
A violent earthquake hit Turkey and Syria during the night of 5 to 6 February. The estimate is still provisional, with hundreds dead and thousands injured. The vibrations were felt as far away as Lebanon and Cyprus.
On the night of 5-6 February, Turkey and Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
Both countries report a total of several hundred dead and thousands injured. The toll, already dramatic, is still largely underestimated.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in Turkey, near the town of Pazarcik in the south-east of the country. Seven different provinces are reporting deaths, according to the government’s disaster management agency (Afad).
Both countries are reporting hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. At least 284 people have been killed in Turkey, and more than 2,000 injured.
According to Vice-President Fuat Oktay, the death toll is likely to rise sharply. More than a thousand buildings have completely collapsed.
لقطات من مدينة كهرمان مرعش التركية ترصد حجم الأضرار الهائلة التي سببها الزلزال في #تركيا | #شاهد_سكاي #زلزال_تركيا pic.twitter.com/ot95TDyjEX
— سكاي نيوز عربية (@skynewsarabia) February 6, 2023
In Syria, these tremors are said to be the strongest “since the national earthquake centre was founded in 1995”, according to the emergency services.
In government-controlled areas alone, more than 200 people have died, according to the health ministry.
Rebel-controlled areas near the Turkish border were also reportedly badly hit. No overall death toll has yet been reported, but rescue workers put the death toll at over 120.
Turkey’s defence ministry says the country’s armed forces have established an air corridor to enable medical and rescue teams to reach the earthquake-hit areas.
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/FRLf9rE4t6 pic.twitter.com/OeSUTAW4IU
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 6, 2023
Appeal for international aid
This earthquake is the biggest in Turkey since the earthquake of 17 August 1999, which caused the death of 17,000 people, including a thousand in Istanbul.
“All our teams are on alert. We have issued a level four alarm. This is an appeal, including for international assistance,” Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Haberturk.
Several foreign leaders have given their support on Twitter, including Volodymyr Zelensky, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron.
The European Union has announced the sending of rescue teams to Turkey.