border with Syria
At least 1,500 dead after earthquake – another heavy earthquake shakes Turkey
News in the video: Hundreds dead in severe earthquake on the Turkish-Syrian border.
STORY: Hundreds of people died in a severe earthquake in the border region between Turkey and Syria on Monday. In southern Turkey alone, more than 280 people died and over 2,300 were injured. Several provinces are affected and experts assume that the numbers will continue to rise sharply. More than 230 dead and around 600 injured were also counted in north-west Syria, according to health authorities. A man in Djindires, Syria, which is around 50 kilometers north-west of Aleppo on the border with Turkey, was in despair in the morning hours: “Twelve families are trapped here. And nobody can get out. They’re all in here. See you no one’s there to check on people yet. There’s no civil defense. We’ve only been working with our hands since three in the morning.” The tremors lasted about a minute and were felt as far away as Israel, Cyprus and Lebanon in the early hours of the morning. In Syria, as here in Turkey, numerous houses collapsed and rescuers searched for survivors in the rubble. The tremors in the early morning had a magnitude of 7.8, according to the US earthquake agency. The epicenter was near the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep. The US earthquake observatory also registered several aftershocks. Earthquakes, some of which have serious consequences, occur again and again in Turkey. In 1999, more than 17,000 people died in a magnitude 7.6 earthquake. The first offers of help came from Germany, Israel and the USA, among others. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Twitter that her thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and everyone who feared for their family, friends and neighbors.
More than 1,500 people died in two major earthquakes in south-east Turkey and neighboring Syria. The number of victims is likely to rise sharply – also because another heavy earthquake shook the region.
Another 7.5 magnitude earthquake has struck south-eastern Turkey. The epicenter was in the province of Kahramanmaras, reported the earthquake station Kandilli in Istanbul. The earth also trembled in Syria and Lebanon. The number of dead in the border region rose to more than 1,500 after the first tremors on Monday morning. On the Turkish side alone, 912 people lost their lives. More than 5,300 people were injured, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. More than 2,400 were rescued from the rubble. At least 1,700 buildings collapsed. In addition to residential buildings, a hospital in the city of Iskenderun was also apparently destroyed. According to the newspaper “Hürriyet”, a historic castle collapsed in Gaziantep.
At least 592 people have died in northern Syria, according to the local Ministry of Health and rescue workers. According to preliminary figures, 371 people were killed and 1,089 injured in the areas controlled by the Syrian government. The White Helmets involved in the rescue work there reported 221 fatalities and 419 injuries in the areas controlled by rebels. The number of victims is likely to continue to rise in view of the many buried people. Photos showed rescue teams carrying people away on stretchers. The head of the National Earthquake Center, Raed Ahmed, said this was the strongest tremor to hit Syria since 1995, according to the Sana news agency.
Major Earthquake
Thousands of houses leveled: These pictures show the destruction in Turkey and Syria
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey early Monday morning. Another earthquake measuring 6.6 was measured shortly afterwards in the province of Gaziantep. In an updated assessment, the Geoforschungszentrum Potsdam gave the strength as 7.8 and 6.7. According to official information, the earthquake was also felt in Israel.
Erdogan responds on Twitter
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter, “We hope that we can get through this disaster together in the shortest possible time and with as little damage as possible.” His government has asked NATO partners to help with the rescue and salvage work. According to a list published by the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday, it needs emergency medical teams, emergency medical equipment and search and rescue teams that can work in difficult conditions. Specifically, three field hospitals suitable for extreme weather conditions and personnel for their establishment are also named.
Turkey is repeatedly affected by severe earthquakes. Two of the largest continental plates meet there: the African and the Eurasian. In fact, most of the Turkish population lives in constant danger of earthquakes. In October 2020, more than 100 people died in Izmir in one of the most serious earthquakes in recent years. In 1999, Turkey was hit by one of the worst natural disasters in its history: a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the region around the north-western industrial city of Izmit claimed the lives of more than 17,000 people. Experts are also expecting a strong earthquake in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, in the near future.
Germany promises help
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have promised help after the severe earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area. “Of course Germany will send help,” wrote Scholz (SPD) on Twitter and was dismayed by the news from the affected areas. “The death toll continues to rise. We mourn with the relatives and fear for those buried.” Baerbock promised: “We will quickly get help on the way with our partners.” The Green politician also wrote on Twitter that one woke up on Monday “with terrible news” from Turkey and Syria.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has promised extensive help. “We coordinate closely with each other and will help with all means that are available to us and are now most urgently needed,” said Faeser on Monday in Berlin. The delivery of emergency generators, tents and blankets is already being prepared by the Technical Relief Agency (THW). Emergency shelters and water treatment facilities could also be provided.
EU sends rescue teams, Israel wants to help Syria
The EU Center for Disaster Relief is coordinating the dispatch of European rescue workers to Turkey after the severe earthquake. According to a spokesman for the EU Commission, more than ten search and rescue teams have already been mobilized to support the first responders on site. They come from Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Malta and the Czech Republic. Italy, Spain and Slovakia are also ready to send rescue teams. The EU’s Copernicus satellite service was also activated to provide support, as the responsible EU Commissioner Janez Lenarcic and the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced. Its data can be used, among other things, to create location maps that show a detailed extent of the damage.
Israel also wants to provide humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria after the severe earthquakes. “Following the request of the Turkish government, I have ordered the deployment of search and rescue teams and medical teams,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding: “Since we were asked to do the same for the many people injured in the earthquake in Syria to do so, I have also instructed.” Officially, Israel and Syria are at war. It was initially unclear what the help for Syria should look like in concrete terms. A spokesman for Netanyahu said he had no further information.
Editor’s Note: This article will be continuously updated.