Rescue workers are frantically looking for survivors buried in the rubble on both sides of the Turkey-Syria border as the death toll from one of Turkey’s most devastating earthquakes in 100 years approaches 600. Residents were awoken around 4 a.m. on Monday by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake with tremors as far away as Israel and Lebanon, injuring thousands more. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake’s epicenter was 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles) below the surface, 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi in Turkey’s Gaziantep province.
People waited for help as the sun rose over rows of collapsed buildings in Turkey, some of which had apartments that were exposed to the elements.
According to Vice President Fuat Oktay, there have been at least 284 deaths and over 2,300 injuries in Turkey. At least 386 people were killed in neighboring Syria, primarily in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus, according to official Syrian television. Additionally, at least 147 deaths were reported by the organization known as the “White Helmets,” which is officially known as the Syria Civil Defense, in opposition-held regions of northwest Syria. In the midst of a bloody civil war that began in 2011, anti-government forces control a significant portion of northwest Syria, which borders Turkey.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) claims that Monday’s earthquake was Turkey’s largest since a similar-sized one in 1939, when 30,000 people were killed. Earthquakes of this magnitude are uncommon because the world experiences fewer than five of them annually. Turkey has experienced seven earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater in the past 25 years, but the strongest was on Monday. The seismic tremor inclined area was impacted on Monday, as per Karl Lang, an associate teacher at Georgia Tech College’s School of Earth and Climatic Sciences. Although it is a substantial fault zone, Lang claims that this is the largest earthquake in recent memory. It appeared to last forever. “It felt like it would never end,” said Gaziantep-based journalist Eyad Kourdi, who was visiting his parents at the time when the earthquake struck early Monday morning.
He asserted that Kourdi and his dad went out while still in their jammies after the shaking died down. While he went inside to get coats and boots, they stood outside in the rain for about thirty minutes; The ground was covered in several inches of snow. Both southern and focal Turkey have serious areas of strength for felt. The strongest aftershock, measuring 6.7 magnitudes, occurred approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the initial earthquake’s epicenter 11 minutes later. A strong delayed repercussion with an extent of 5.6 was felt 19 minutes after the underlying shake.
Kourdi asserted that after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, up to eight “extremely strong” aftershocks occurred in less than a minute, causing his home’s contents to fall to the ground. He claimed that the earthquake had driven many of his neighbors away. As the day began in Turkey, images revealed the true scope of the disaster. The streets were littered with metal rods, and entire buildings had been flattened. Bulldozers remove the wreckage from cars that collide. Gaziantep Castle was severely damaged by the powerful earthquake.
CNN meteorologists say that the situation is getting worse because of a winter storm in the region. The situation affects hundreds of thousands of people. It’s chilly outside. Rain is falling. Karen Maginnis, a meteorologist for CNN, says that roads might make it harder for you to get food, find a job, or take care of your family and children. This area’s vegetation, including crops, will be affected. In this region, the effects of this will be felt for weeks and months.
Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s interior minister, stated that teams had been sent to the south of the country to carry out search and rescue operations. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), the disaster agency AFAD, has requested international assistance, as stated by the humanitarian program of the European Union. Around 1,000 search and rescue volunteers, as well as dogs, trucks, and other equipment, have been sent from Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, according to its governor, Ali Yerlikaya. I apologize for your loss. Yerlikaya tweeted, “I wish the best for everyone who has been injured.”
Davut Gul, the governor of Gaziantep, posted a tweet saying that “the earthquake was felt powerfully in our city” and urging people to remain calm while they waited outside their homes. Please remain silent outside. We must stop driving. Avoid clogging the main roads. He said, “Let’s not use the phones too much.” As per Asli Aydintasbas, a Brookings Foundation individual, the territory of Gaziantep has a few little and medium-sized urban communities with enormous evacuee populaces.
There isn’t much prosperity in these areas. There are more prosperous metropolitan areas than others. She also said that other places that seem to have been destroyed are in communities with lower incomes. In a video shot in Diyarbakir, northeast of Gaziantep, rescue workers can be seen frantically removing survivors from the debris. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, claims that the quake was felt throughout a significant portion of the country.
“To all of our fellow citizens who were impacted by the earthquake that struck Kahramanmaraş and was felt throughout a significant portion of our nation, I send my deepest condolences. Erdogan stated on Twitter that all of our relevant units are on alert under the direction of AFAD. Sympathy and support began to pour in as world leaders awoke on Monday to hear about the devastating earthquake. The US is “profoundly concerned” about the destruction in Turkey and Syria, according to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“I have communicated with Turkish officials to inform them that we are prepared to provide any necessary assistance. Sullivan tweeted, “We’ll keep a close eye on the situation in collaboration with Turkiye.”
