After a strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake slammed southern Turkey on Monday, up to 95 people were killed and numerous structures were destroyed in Turkey and Syria. The death toll is anticipated to grow.
53 individuals were confirmed deceased, according to Turkey’s official media: 23 in the province of Malatya, 17 in Sanliurfa, 6 in Diyarbakir, and 5 more in Osmaniye. The “level 4 alarm” that Turkey has issued requests assistance from outside.
At least 42 people were killed and a number of structures were destroyed in Aleppo, northern Syria, according to authorities. There was such a severe tremor that it was felt in Lebanon and Cyprus.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, announced on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the earthquake-affected districts.
A significant earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale and another one with a value of 6.7 both rocked southern Turkey early on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey.
The epicenter of the original earthquake was 17.9 km beneath the surface, 26 km east of Nurdagi City in the province of Gaziantep. At a depth of 9.9 kilometers, the second one impacted central Turkey minutes later.
A Massive 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake has struck Central Turkey within the last hour, Severe Damage and multiple Casualties are being reported across the Region. pic.twitter.com/qILgKNAHMK
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 6, 2023
A Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350 km to the east, said the tremor, which lasted about a minute, broke windows.
According to BNO News, several buildings fell as a result of the earthquake, and many people were reportedly afraid to be stuck in the rubble.
Multiple apartment buildings have collapsed after a powerful earthquake in southern Turkey https://t.co/wydrBj94RL
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 6, 2023
Videos posted on Twitter showed demolished buildings with people yelling and running for their lives.
BREAKING: First footage is emerging after a M7.8 earthquake in central Turkey.#Turkey #Earthquake
pic.twitter.com/5nJL41NFhOAdvertisement— Global News Network (@GlobalNews77) February 6, 2023
The director of the Turkish Red Cross asked residents to leave damaged houses as the organization was mobilizing services for the area after learning of catastrophic damage and fallen structures.
According to witnesses, residents of the Lebanese towns of Beirut and Tripoli, as well as the Syrian capital Damascus, fled their homes in case of building collapses by taking to the streets on foot and driving their automobiles.
