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At least 1,800 people were killed and thousands injured in a series of powerful earthquakes that struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday.
The death toll from the Kahramanmaras earthquake is expected to rise further as rescuers continue to search for debris across the region and aftershocks continue.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan It has been called “the biggest disaster experienced by Turkey in the last century since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake”, adding that it could not predict how high the death toll could rise.
“Everyone is putting their heart and soul into the efforts, however the cold weather, freezing weather and the earthquakes during the night make things more difficult,” he said.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred in the early hours of a cold winter morning at a depth of about 17.9 kilometers in Nurdagi, Turkey. US Geological Survey, This first earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 7.5 earthquake near Ikinozu in Turkey, about 100 km northeast of the first earthquake, no earlier than noon.
According to the latest figures, about 1,121 people have died in Turkey, the country’s disaster agency said.
Erdogan said more than 5,383 were injured, and about 2,818 buildings collapsed. The number of people rescued is 2,470. The epicenter of the first earthquake was not far from the Turkish city of Gaziantep, where about two million people live; Footage on broadcaster CNNTurk showed the historic Gaziantep Castle was severely damaged.
“Of the deadliest earthquakes in any year, only two have been of similar magnitude in the last ten years (2013-2022), and four more in the last 10 years. Therefore, an earthquake of this magnitude could be the deadliest in any year Joanna Faure Walker, UK head of the UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, said that Turkey has experienced the deadliest earthquakes worldwide four times in the past 50 years.
Dramatic footage showed buildings flattened, rescuers with sniffer dogs searching for survivors in the rubble of concrete, as temperatures hovered around freezing point. People attempting to leave the area blocked traffic, obstructing the view of evacuation teams.
express support and sympathy
EU mobilizes search and rescue teams for Turkey, following request to activate EU Civil Protection Mechanism,
some 10 teams are on the way To support first responders on the ground from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Netherlands, Poland and Romania. Italy and Hungary have also offered their rescue teams to Turkey. Under the mechanism, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Center is in direct contact with the authorities to coordinate further assistance if needed.
humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (msf) said teams were responding in northern Syria by early morning.
In Syria, which was already ravaged by more than 11 years of civil war, some 371 people were killed and 1,042 were injured, according to the health ministry. In rebel-held Syria’s northwest, the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, has confirmed 380 deaths.
His office said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was holding an emergency cabinet meeting to review the damage.
Tremors were felt up to 600 km away in Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Georgia, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. Immediately after the earthquake, a small tsunami It hit the coast of Famagusta in Cyprus, although it did not cause any damage.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos said, “Deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria.” mitsotakis posted on Twitter, saying Greece was mobilizing its resources and would assist immediately.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos dendias contacted his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and offered his condolences and Greece’s readiness to offer help.
Tensions between the neighboring countries have been particularly high in recent months, especially as both governments plan elections in the summer.
After frequent earthquakes in both countries in the summer of 1999, the so-called earthquake diplomacy was launched, which eventually led to an improvement in Greek-Turkish relations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We stand in full solidarity with the people of Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake this morning.” Tweeted,
Condolences and offers of help also began pouring in from across Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Express “Most sincere condolences” to their Turkish and Syrian counterparts and said Russia is ready to provide necessary assistance.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its military facilities in Syria were not damaged by the quake, and an official of Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said the Akkuyu nuclear power plant it is building in southern Turkey was also not damaged.