GAZIANTEP, Turkey — More than 1,600 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria, where on Monday two powerful earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks they have toppled thousands of buildings and raised the specter of a new humanitarian disaster in a region already ravaged by war, the refugee crisis and deep economic woes.
The first quake, measuring 7.8, occurred at 4:17 local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and was also felt in Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Lebanon. A second 7.5-magnitude quake hit southeastern Turkey about nine hours later on Monday afternoon, according to the USGS.
The initial earthquake, whose epicenter was near Gaziantep in south-central Turkey, it was the deadliest to hit the country in more than 20 years and it was as strong as the 1939 quake, the most powerful ever recorded in Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at least 912 people were killed as search and rescue teams spread across the country.
When her family’s apartment building in Gaziantep started shaking, Serap Sari yelled, “Nobody move!” his pregnant wife and their three children. “I thought my home would be my grave”he remembered.
About 700 people were also reported dead in northwestern Syria. The affected area covers several provinces and the frontline between government-controlled areas on the one hand and Turkish-backed opposition-controlled areas on the other.
In Turkey alone, nearly 3,000 buildings collapsed after the initial quake and more than 5,000 people were injured, according to Erdogan. “We don’t know how far the number of dead and injured can go”She said.
Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, the world’s largest number from that conflict, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, which runs one of its largest operations out of Gaziantep. Nearly 3 million internally displaced Syrians live in parts of Syria controlled by the opposition, including much of Idlib province, where many live in tents, makeshift shelters or damaged buildings.
Videos shared on social media from Turkey and across the Syrian border show buildings destroyed and rescue teams searching for survivors amid piles of rubble. Some fled their homes in the rain and took refuge in cars while the temperature touched zero degrees.
Governments around the world have responded quickly to Turkey’s request for international assistance, deploying rescue teams and offering assistance.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, an area crossed by geological faults. Recent earthquakes in the region have triggered deadly landslides.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.