Image Source: Twitter
Turkey was hit with a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which has claimed nearly 300 lives and left more than 500 injured so far. Several people are reported to be trapped under the debris in south-eastern Turkey.
WATCH: Neighborhood in Harem, Syria destroyed by earthquake pic.twitter.com/AAYnqWPu4j
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 6, 2023
This quake is assumed to be the most powerful in the region in the last century. The blow was felt at 04:11 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) with an after-shock of 6.7 magnitudes, 15 minutes later. So far, approximately 20 after-shocks have been witnessed in daylight and the death toll continues to rise as the rescue operations continue.
According to the Turkish Interior Minister, Suleymon Soylu, 10 cities have been affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis.
As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter was 23 kilometers, east of Nurdagi, province in Gaziantep, at a depth of 21.7 kilometers.
Governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya informed about the deployment of nearly 1000 search and rescue volunteers from Istanbul to the affected Turkish regions however the Turkish disaster management agency has requested international support to quicken the search and rescue operations.
Several countries have expressed their condolences to the affected regions and have vouched to provide support. According to CNN meteorologist, Karen Maginnis, the winter storm coupled with the quake with prove to be devastating for the public since it can lead to road blockage which will create a hindrance in the food supply, and emergency needs.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the affected and made quick arrangements for the rescue operations.
Kahramanmaraş’ta meydana gelen ve ülkemizin pek çok yerinde hissedilen depremden etkilenen tüm vatandaşlarımıza geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum. İlgili tüm birimlerimiz AFAD koordinasyonunda teyakkuz halindedir.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) February 6, 2023
Syrian Civil Defense, White Helmets is continuing the rescue operations and have confirmed 120+ deaths and 230+ injured. The rescue operations are going on and the number of casualties continues to grow in both Syria and Turkey.