Already more than 3,800 fatalities, at least 18,000 injured and many missing: The consequences of the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area are dramatic. And the situation is getting worse – following the night’s earthquake, another violent earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 shook the region at noon. The earthquake during the night had a magnitude of 7.7. It surprised people in their sleep. What we know so far regarding the natural disaster – an overview.
The number of dead and injured is constantly increasing
In Turkey alone, the death toll rose to at least 2,379, as the civil protection authority announced in the evening. More than 1,440 people died in Syria, according to the Ministry of Health and the rescue organization White Helmets. According to previous information, more than 18,000 people were injured in Turkey and Syria.
Countless people are still buried on both sides of the border. Images from both countries show severe devastation. The situation in the areas is still unclear. It must be assumed that the number of dead and injured will continue to rise. The earthquake was also felt in Lebanon, which borders Syria. In the capital Beirut, some residents fled their homes in haste.
Apparently a hospital also collapsed
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a week of national mourning. According to the Turkish interior minister, several provinces are affected. More than 5,600 buildings collapsed. Rescue teams from across the country would be pulled together. In addition, alarm level four was declared and international help was requested. There were a total of 22 followingshocks, some strong. Buildings collapsed on both sides of the border. People panicked trying to get outside to safety in wintry conditions.
Residential buildings and a hospital in the city of Iskenderun are said to be among the collapsed buildings. According to the state news agency Anadolu, the castle in the city of Gaziantep was also badly damaged. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Numerous followingshocks – Germany wants to help
According to the civil protection agency Afad, the epicenter of the first severe quake in the night was in the province of Kahramanmaras near the Syrian border. There were a large number of followingshocks. Rain, snow and cold made rescue operations difficult.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) promised that Germany would of course send help. “We will quickly get help with our partners,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens).
Sub-zero temperatures in the earthquake area – call for blood donations
In the meantime, people in Turkey have been called upon to make phone calls online and not via the mobile phone network because of the communication bottlenecks, so that people who have been buried can be reached first. The temperatures in the affected areas are currently often in the minus range. In some places it snowed heavily. The state broadcaster TRT showed how people were freed from the rubble in the snow in the city of Iskenderun.
Pictures were also shown from the cities of Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Osmaniye, Diyarbakir and Adana, in which people were being transported away, some wrapped in blankets. The aid organization “Turkish Red Crescent” called on the population to donate blood. Aid organizations also asked for blankets, heaters, winter clothing, food packages and baby food.
