Massive Earthquake Kills Over 2,300 in Turkey and Syria

More than 2,300 people have been killed and thousands more injured following a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday morning.^[0] The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than a century, was followed by over 30 aftershocks and prompted a massive search and rescue operation in the area.^[1]

The death toll in Turkey currently stands at 1,651 and the number of people injured at 11,119, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).^[2] In Syria, the health ministry reported that more than 430 people had been killed and 1,280 injured, while groups operating in the country’s rebel-held northwestern region reported at least 380 deaths and hundreds more injured.^[3]

The quake caused significant damage to Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey, which has been in use since Roman times.^[4] Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Monday’s event as the worst disaster for the country since 1939, when an earthquake killed over 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.^[5]

Footage taken in the Turkish city of Adana shows rubble from a high-rise building that collapsed after the quake, while an aerial view of collapsed buildings in the city of Hatay reveals the devastation caused by the powerful tremor.^[6]

What was the source of the earthquake?^[7] Scientists believe that the quake was caused by the Arabian Plate shifting to the northeast against the African Plate, and that the two plates have been locked together in this position for thousands of years.

In response to the disaster, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an immediate cash assistance from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund, while other charitable organisations such as Oxfam, Action for Humanity, CARE, and Human Appeal have launched fundraisers to support their teams on the ground.^[2] Goods such as tents, heaters, blankets, thermal clothes, and ready-to-eat meals for at least 5,000 people are also needed to help survivors, as well as basic first aid kits.

0. “How to help victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria” CNN, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/world/iyw-how-to-help-turkey-syria-earthquake-victims/index.html

1. “Video Shows Building Collapsing Like House Of Cards After Turkey Quake” NDTV.com, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.ndtv.com/feature/turkey-earthquake-video-shows-building-collapsing-like-house-of-cards-after-turkey-quake-3758160

2. “Earthquake in Turkey and Syria Kills At Least 2,300 People” TIME, 6 Feb. 2023, https://time.com/6253208/turkey-earthquake-syria-updates/

3. “Syria and Turkey earthquake: what we know so far” The Guardian, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/06/turkey-earthquake-syria-what-we-know-so-far

4. “Ancient castle used by Romans and Byzantines destroyed in Turkey earthquake” CNN, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/gaziantep-castle-destroyed-turkey-earthquake/index.html

5. “Turkey-Syria Earthquake Live Updates: More than 2,300 Killed in Two Powerful Quakes” The Wall Street Journal, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/turkeyearthquake

6. “IBC appeals for emergency assistance to respond the urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims in …” ReliefWeb, 6 Feb. 2023, https://reliefweb.int/report/turkiye/ibc-appeals-emergency-assistance-respond-urgent-needs-hundreds-thousands-earthquake-victims-south-turkey-and-north-syria

7. “Turkey earthquake: Where did it hit and why was it so deadly?” BBC, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64540696