More than 4000 people have been confirmed killed after a devastating earthquake and its powerful aftershocks struck Southern Turkey and Northern Syria in a 40-second-long tremor.
Turkey, which sits on major fault lines is frequently hit by earthquakes. In August 1999 for instance, a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Marmara, a densely populated region to the south of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, for 45 seconds. Within days, the official death toll stood at 17,500.
In November of the same year, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the eastern Turkish town of Duzce, causing at least 845 deaths. In May 2003, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the eastern province of Bingol, bringing down a school dormitory. At least 167 people, including 83 children, were killed.
In March 2010, at least 42 people were killed after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the eastern province of Elazig. In October of 2011, two earthquakes hit the eastern Turkish city of Van. The first one (magnitude 7.2) struck on October 23 and the second (magnitude 5.6) hit on November 9, claiming 644 lives in total.
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In January 2020, a magnitude 6.8 quake rocked Elazig, killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 1,000. It was felt also in Syria, Georgia and Armenia. In October of the same year, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake levelled buildings in eastern Greece and western Turkey on October 30, killing at least 117 people and injuring nearly 800.
ADANA, TURKIYE – FEBRUARY 06: A person is rescued from the wreckage of a building during search and rescue efforts after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit southern provinces of Turkiye, in Adana, Turkiye on February 6, 2023. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake jolted Turkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaras early Monday, according to Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). It was followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake that struck southeastern Gaziantep province. A third earthquake with a 6.5 magnitude also hit Gaziantep. Earthquakes had affected several provinces including, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis and Sanliurfa. (Photo by Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The latest earthquake, which was felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt, occurred in Kahramanmaras province, north of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.
Rescue efforts are ongoing and it is expected that the number of people killed, injured and displaced probably will climb. According to reports, the initial quake was followed by dozens of powerful aftershocks, including one recorded at 7.5 magnitudes in the same fault zone of south-central Turkey on Monday afternoon. Most of the damage is in southern Turkey and northern and central Syria.
Many countries around the world are reported to have dispatched teams to assist in the rescue efforts and Turkey’s disaster management agency said more than 24,400 emergency personnel were now on the ground. Across Hatay province, just southwest of the earthquake’s epicentre, officials say as many as 1,500 buildings were destroyed and many people reported relatives being trapped under the rubble with no aid or rescue teams arriving.
At least 3,381 people were killed in 10 Turkish provinces, with more than 20,000 injured, according to the latest figures from Turkish authorities on Tuesday. The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed to 769 people, with some 1,450 injured, according to the Health Ministry.
Story was adapted from CBC.
