As of 2:00 pm on February 8, the Turkish Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) confirms that about 8,600 people have died in that country as a result of a series of earthquakes that have occurred over the past two days. Nearly 50,000 were injured and injured. About 6,000 buildings collapsed. Thousands of people were rescued from the rubble. In ten provinces, severe destruction was recorded.
Syrian authorities say more than 1,000 people have died and thousands have been injured as a result of a series of earthquakes that were felt in the north of the country. But the SOHR monitoring group claims about 2,800 dead (including casualties in territories not controlled by Bashar al-Assad’s regime) and over 2,000 wounded and injured.
Thus, in total, more than 11,000 people became victims of the earthquakes that occurred on February 6-8, 2023 in Turkey and Syria.
Search and rescue operations are underway, which are hampered by the fact that the tremors do not stop. Obviously, the number of victims of earthquakes in Syria and Turkey will increase.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared nationwide mourning throughout the country until February 12 inclusive.
Consequences of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Photo report
The February 6-7 earthquake was also felt in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Armenia, Greece and Israel.
Missions from Greece, Spain, Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, Russia, South Korea, France, Qatar and other countries have been sent to Turkey and Syria to provide assistance to the victims and carry out rescue work. Dozens of states and international organizations have declared their readiness to provide assistance.
SERIES OF EARTHQUAKES 6-7.02.2023
February 6 in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria, was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 7.8. This was reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC). The epicenter of the tremors was located 37 kilometers from Gaziantep, which has a population of about 1.7 million people. The hearth lay at a depth of 10 kilometers.
After the first powerful earthquake, dozens of repeated tremors with a magnitude of up to 6.7 followed. Moreover, tremors were felt not only in the south, but also in the center and east of Turkey.
Around noon (at 12:25 Israel time) on February 6, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck central Turkey. The epicenter of the tremors was located 59 kilometers from Kahramanmaras. The hearth lay at a depth of 10 kilometers. After 12 minutes, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 was recorded there.
After 14:00 (Israeli time) in central Turkey there was another strong earthquake – magnitude 6.0. The epicenter of the tremors was located 67 kilometers from Kahramanmaras. The source lay at a depth of 5 kilometers.
During the first day after the powerful earthquake, hundreds of tremors were recorded almost throughout Turkey.
CONSEQUENCES
It is reported about the collapse of thousands of houses in the Turkish provinces of Diyarbakir, Osmaniyya, Kahramanmarash and Malatya, in particular in the city of Sanliurfa, as well as in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Historical fortress collapsed in Gaziantep.
Hatay airport in southeastern Turkey was put out of action due to the destruction of the runway.
Roads destroyed in southern Turkey. Thousands of cars were damaged.
Millions of Turks and Syrians lost their homes.
THE BIGGEST EARTHQUAKES IN THE REGION IN THE PAST
The most devastating in recent decades in Turkey was the earthquake in Izmit (magnitude 7.6) in 1999, when more than 17 thousand people died. In the same year, the Jiuja earthquake (magnitude 7.2) claimed the lives of nearly 900 people.