A violent earthquake kills more than 2,300 people in Turkey and Syria

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of Turkey and Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 2,300 people, and hundreds more are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

The predawn quake’s epicenter was near Gaziantep, near the Turkish-Syrian border, and was followed by a separate 7.5-magnitude quake about 100 kilometers north in the early afternoon.

Photo Gallery: A strong earthquake hits Turkey and Syria

On both sides of the border, residents woke up rushing outside on a cold, rainy and snowy night. Many buildings were blasted into piles of shattered floors, with aftershocks continuing to shake the area.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at least 2,800 buildings collapsed, and Turkish officials said nearly 1,500 people were killed and thousands more injured. Syria has reported more than 430 deaths in government-held areas, while rescue workers said at least 380 more have died in rebel-held areas.

“Because rubble removal efforts are continuing in many buildings in the earthquake zone, we do not know how high the number of dead and injured is,” Erdogan said. “We hope to leave these disastrous days behind us in unity and solidarity as a country and a nation.”

Awale Ahmed Darfa, a Somali student in Gaziantep at the epicenter, told VOA Somali, “A big earthquake hit while we were sleeping…. The situation turned critical very quickly. We heard screams, screams and people running. The buildings were shaking as if the jinn were shaking them [evil spirits]. Everyone ran to wherever they felt they would be safe.”

The student added, “Now we are outside since we left our homes around four o’clock in the morning. There is a problem with going outside – it is raining, cold and windy, and we are not wearing protective clothing. Outside, everyone is wearing what they were wearing while sleeping. Some people have no shoes.” They said Us we can’t go back to the buildings because of fear [of aftershocks]. This is the disaster here.”

epicenter

The earthquake struck an area shrouded in more than a decade of civil war in Syria on both sides of the border. On the Syrian side, the affected area is divided between government-held territory and the last opposition-held enclave in the country, surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Meanwhile, Turkey is home to millions of refugees who have fled conflict.

Opposition-held areas of Syria are teeming with about 4 million people who have been displaced from other parts of the country by the fighting. Many of them live in buildings already damaged by past bombings. The opposition emergency organisation, the White Helmets, said in a statement on Monday that hundreds of families were still trapped under the rubble.

Rescue workers said overwhelmed health facilities and hospitals were quickly filling up with injured people. And according to medical organization SAMS, others have been emptied, including the maternity hospital.

The area sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. About 18,000 people were killed in a similarly powerful earthquake that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

Monday’s earthquake destroyed the historic Gaziantep Citadel and many other historic buildings in the region.

In the Turkish city of Mersin, a resident, Nurhan Kiral, told the Turkish VOA service that the earthquake lasted about a minute.

“We woke up to the shaking and got out of bed. Debris fell from the chimney. Debris fell from the space between the buildings. Kerral said.

The Syrian American Medical Society said its hospitals in Syria are “overwhelmed with patients filling the corridors.”

“Many hospitals are full, but some vital facilities, including Al Dana Hospital, had to evacuate patients after they were severely damaged by the earthquake,” the organization said in a statement. “Similarly, the maternity hospital in Idlib had to transfer all newborns to a nearby hospital.”

international assistance

US President Joe Biden said he authorized an immediate US response.

Our teams are rapidly deploying to begin supporting Turkey’s search and rescue efforts and addressing the needs of those injured and displaced by the earthquake. In a statement on Monday, Biden said that humanitarian partners supported by the United States are also responding to the devastation in Syria.

“We are determined to do everything we can to help those affected by these earthquakes in the days, weeks and months ahead,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The European Union said it had mobilized rescue teams to the area, with crews from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.

“Our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones and the brave first responders working to save lives,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenaric said in a joint statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said their governments were ready to help those affected by the quake.

Members of the Special Disaster Response Unit with their dogs wait to board the Greek Air Force C-130, in order to fly to Turkey to help in the aftermath of the earthquake, before departing from Elefsina Military Airport, Greece, February 6. , 2023.

“Greece is mobilizing its resources and will help immediately,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that search and rescue teams, as well as medical aid, would head to Turkey in response to a request from the Turkish government.

Russia also said it had rescue teams preparing to go to Turkey to help earthquake victims in both Turkey and Syria.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also offered his government’s support.

“I was shocked to learn that hundreds of people died and were injured as a result of the earthquake that struck Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. We send our condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. At this time, we stand by the friendly Turkish people and are ready to provide the necessary assistance.

Turkey is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

In 1999, 17,000 people died when a 7.4-magnitude earthquake – the worst to hit Turkey in decades – struck near Duzce in the country’s northwest.

In October 2022, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hits the Aegean Sea, killing 116 people and injuring more than 1,000 people. All but two of the victims were in Izmir, Turkey.

Some of the material for this article came from the Associated Press, AFP, and Reuters.

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