Deadly earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: what is known at this moment
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck at 4.17 a.m. local time, just 32 kilometers from Gaziantep, one of Türkiye’s oldest cities in the country’s southeast near the Syrian border. The earthquake was felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt and was followed by multiple powerful aftershocks.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province. According to Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu, at least 10 cities were affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.
At least 912 have been killed in Türkiye, injuring 5,385 people. Syrian state media reports that at least 339 people were killed and 1,089 injured in government-controlled areas of Syria, torn by war. The White Helmets rescue group reported that at least 221 were killed and 419 injured in opposition-held areas.
Officials say the number will continue rising as search and rescue operations continue. Hundreds of people may still remain stuck under the debris of collapsed buildings.
Türkiye is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. Earthquakes are relatively common in Türkiye due to its location on several active fault lines. The country is situated at the boundary of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, which leads to seismic activity. Türkiye has had several destructive earthquakes, including the 1999 catastrophic İzmit earthquake of 7.6 magnitude.
At least 2,818 buildings have collapsed as a result of the earthquake in Türkiye’s Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces. There are reports that the region suffered several other large aftershocks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said it was the biggest disaster in the last century after the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. Rescue teams and supply aircraft continued to arrive to the affected area after the authorities declared a «level 4 alarm» that called for international assistance.
Spokesperson of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aibek Smadiyarov said that there are no Kazakh citizens killed or injured as a result of the earthquake in Türkiye at the moment.
«According to our embassy in Türkiye, as of 3 p.m. Astana time, no calls from the citizens of Kazakhstan for help after the powerful earthquake in the south-east of Türkiye were received. The consul is in contact with Türkiye’s emergency officials,» said Smadiyarov during a weekly briefing on Monday.
As the number of people killed in the earthquake continues to rise, leaders from around the world share messages of support offer their aid.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the Kazakh government to provide emergency assistance to Türkiye to support the country in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations have contacted the Turkish authorities and in the near future, at the request of the Turkish government, Kazakh rescuers and medics will fly to the affected regions.
Photo: aa.com.tr
Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said in a Telegram post that two IL-76 aircraft with rescuers are ready to fly to Türkiye. 100 specialists from the Russian Emergencies Ministry's Centrospas airmobile unit and the Leader Center for Special Risk Rescue Operations have been put on standby.
Similar messages came from India’s government, which said that two teams from India’s disaster response force with 100 personnel were ready to be flown to the disaster area. Poland, Spain, the European Union, and Taiwan have expressed their readiness to fly to the affected areas.
Turkish President Erdoğan said that 45 countries offered help with search and rescue efforts.
Photo: aa.com.tr
