Hundreds dead as 7.8 magnitude earthquake rattles Türkiye, Syria

Hundreds dead as 7.8 magnitude earthquake rattles Türkiye, Syria on wee hours of Monday.

• The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria rises to at least 640 dead
• According to the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep
• Gaziantep city is located about 90km from the Syrian border and is historically known as Antep
• There have been more than 40 aftershocks, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority
• Rescuers are racing to save people trapped beneath the rubble after hundreds of buildings collapsed in both countries
• Turkey has issued an international appeal for help

Scenes of massive destruction are emerging from the affected areas where scores of buildings collapsed triggering a search for survivors trapped in the rubble and casualties are feared to rise.

This is the biggest earthquake in 24 years in this region. So far, 100 aftershocks have occurred. About 53 of them are over 4 [on the Richter scale]. Seven of them were over 5 magnitudes.

Osmaniye Governor said that around 34 buildings have collapsed in southern Osmaniye province due to the quake.

The tremors were felt as far away as in Ankara and in other neighbouring countries.

Associated Press initially reported that Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said at least 284 people were killed in seven Turkish provinces. The agency said 440 people were injured.

As reported, the Turkish armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected by the major earthquake in southern Turkey.

Schools in the 10 cities and provinces across Turkey hit by the earthquake will be closed for a week. The cities and provinces included Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis.

The footage and images from the affected areas are pouring in on social media showing the scale of devastation, which is beyond expression.

This is the moment a building in Türkiye’s Sanliurfa collapsed after a major 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye pic.twitter.com/VF4c1Efu9E

— TRT World (@trtworld) February 6, 2023

Şanlıurfa… #deprem pic.twitter.com/jTV1iVIZKv

— Ata Benli (@atabenli) February 6, 2023

Image of a highway in turkey after the #earthquake pic.twitter.com/RrA2vfj7hf

— Abier (@abierkhatib) February 6, 2023

Absolutely horrific scenes out of city of Iskenderun #Turkey, vast devastation and destruction from magnitude 7.8 earthquake. People feared to be under rubble. Death toll already above 200… pic.twitter.com/7Fo6yIyut6

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) February 6, 2023

People have left their houses in #Lebanon to spend the rest of their morning in their cars worried that another earthquake or aftershocks might occur. Lebanon is surely not equipped for this. pic.twitter.com/G4DPBnlVWt

— Luna Safwan – لونا صفوان (@LunaSafwan) February 6, 2023

On the other hand, the Syrian regime’s media reported at least 230 people killed and over 600 injured across Syria including in rebel-held areas where four million people are living in decrepit conditions.

At least 147 people were killed in rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.

NW #Syria in a state of catastrophe after 7.8 magnitude #earthquake. Destruction, devastation, and collapse of buildings. Hundreds of injuries, dozens of deaths, many trapped under the rubble or stranded in the winter cold. We call on the international community to take action. pic.twitter.com/rtzqRJa8IP

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 6, 2023

In Greece where the 7.8 magnitude quake’s tremors were also felt.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has instructed specialised teams to be deployed to assist rescue efforts.