Devastating Earthquakes Strike Southern Turkey: 2,300 Lives Lost and Counting
On February 6, 2023, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey near the Syrian border, followed by a 7.5-magnitude quake and dozens of powerful aftershocks.[0] The USGS PAGER impact report indicates that extensive damage is probable and the disaster is likely to be widespread, due to the color RED assigned to Economic Losses and the color Orange assigned to Fatalities, suggesting that significant casualties are likely.[1] The powerful earthquakes have had an immense toll on the region, causing more than 2,300 people to lose their lives, thousands to be injured, and thousands of buildings to be destroyed.
The quakes have affected many war-displaced Syrians living in the area, as well as people in neighboring countries such as Cyprus and Lebanon. The aftershocks have caused multiple buildings to collapse, leading to a search for survivors and a rescue operation in the region.[2] Videos have circulated of emergency crews working to save lives as buildings partially collapse.[3]
So far, 1,498 people have died in Turkey, with more than 430 people declared dead in Syria and at least 380 in the country’s rebel-held northwest.[4] The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue. It seems that the earthquake is linked to either the East Anatolia fault zone or the Dead Sea transform fault zone.[1] The region is in dire need of emergency response and relief to help the victims of this tragedy.
0. “Ghana’s Christian Atsu reportedly missing after Turkey earthquakes” The Guardian, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/06/christian-atsu-turkey-earthquakes-hatayspor-newcastle-chelsea
1. “Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake in Nurdağı, Turkey | U.S. Geological Survey” United States Geological Survey (.gov), 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/magnitude-78-earthquake-nurdagi-turkey
2. “Video Shows Building Collapsing Like House Of Cards After Turkey Quake” NDTV, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.ndtv.com/feature/turkey-earthquake-video-shows-building-collapsing-like-house-of-cards-after-turkey-quake-3758160
3. “Turkey earthquake: Terrifying video shows block of flats collapse in less than 10 seconds” Sky News, 6 Feb. 2023, https://news.sky.com/story/turkey-earthquake-terrifying-video-shows-block-of-flats-collapse-in-less-than-ten-seconds-12804625
4. “Turkey and Syria: Two huge earthquakes kill 2,300 as death toll continues to climb – latest updates” The Independent, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-earthquake-syria-live-updates-today-b2276710.html
