Turkey and Syria have been struck by an intense 7.8-magnitude earthquake, trapping thousands of others and killing thousands of people.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake occurred at a depth of approximately 17.9 kilometers (11 miles) at 04:17 am local time (0117 GMT). It was followed 15 minutes later by an aftershock of 6.7 magnitudes.
The magnitude of the initial quake, according to Turkey’s AFAD emergencies service center, was 7.4. In the two nations, over 4,300 people have died and thousands more have been injured thus far.
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The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey has increased to 2,921, according to the health ministry, and thousands of buildings have been destroyed.
The earthquake, according to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was the country’s largest disaster since 1939.
In addition, he has declared a week of national mourning following the devastating earthquake. A powerful 7.8-Due to the widespread destruction caused by the earthquake, the Ankara government has requested international assistance.
Additionally, the Turkish Red Crescent’s president urged the nation to donate blood. Also, Kerem Kinik stated on Twitter that the organization was sending additional blood supplies to the affected region.
Fuat Oktay, vice president of the nation, made the announcement that schools would be closed in the ten cities and provinces that were affected. He also said that the airport in Hatay province has been closed to civilian flights and that flights to and from it have been suspended.
The majority of people were still asleep when the quake struck major cities in southern Turkey, including Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep. Erdem, a resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which is close to the epicenter of the quake, told Reuters, “I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I’ve lived.” Like a baby in a crib, we were violently shaken at least three times.
Thousands of people have died in earthquakes that have struck Turkey and Syria, trapping many more. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake occurred at a depth of approximately 17.9 kilometers (11 miles) at 04:17 am local time (0117 GMT). It was followed 15 minutes later by an aftershock of 6.7 magnitudes.
The magnitude of the initial quake, according to Turkey’s AFAD emergencies service center, was 7.4. In the two nations, over 4,300 people have died and thousands more have been injured thus far. The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey has increased to 2,921, according to the health ministry, and thousands of buildings have been destroyed.
The earthquake, according to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was the country’s largest disaster since 1939. In addition, he has declared a week of national mourning following the devastating earthquake.
In the meantime, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that areas in Turkey from which there had been no news following the overnight earthquake were cause for concern.
The World Health Organization spokesperson provided Reuters with the following information in a statement: “Then we will expect an increased need for trauma care to treat the injured and to support the entire health system in affected areas.” “National authorities will be focusing on search and rescue at the moment,” the spokesperson stated.
The death toll in Syria is over 1,440, according to the country’s health ministry and rescue teams working nationwide. According to the official SANA news agency, the earthquake killed at least 711 people and injured at least 3,411 more, including the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus.
In the northwestern regions of the country, which are held by pro-Turkish militants, rescue teams reported that at least 733 people were killed and more than 2,100 were injured.
According to reports, the quake completely destroyed the Syrian border city of Harem in Idlib province.
According to his office, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria called an emergency cabinet meeting to look at the damage and talk about the steps that needed to be taken.
This was “historically, the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the center,” according to Raed Ahmed, who heads Syria’s National Earthquake Center.
Other nations and regions also felt the tremors like Lebanon and Cyprus. Witnesses told Reuters that people fled their buildings in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli into the street and into their cars in case they collapsed. One of the most active earthquake zones in the world is Turkey. The country’s worst earthquake in decades killed more than 17,000 people in 1999.
However, most counties show concern about this disastrous incident; Nigeria, Russia, China, and others sent condolences and pledge support to the affected areas.
