Massive 7.8 Quake Kills Over 500 in Turkey and Syria
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Turkey has killed dozens of people and reduced buildings to rubble in the country’s south and neighboring Syria, with shocks, felt across the Middle East.
A massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Turkey and neighboring countries, leveling buildings and killing at least 360 people, with many more trapped beneath the rubble.
After the massive quake rocked southeast Turkey at around 04.17 am local time (01.17 am GMT) on Monday, people were trapped and injured in several areas throughout the country and neighboring countries.
The earthquake was followed by at least another strong tremor and a slew of aftershocks felt across vast swaths of the Middle East. Several buildings are believed to have collapsed, sending panicked residents pouring outside on a cold winter night.
Syria appears to be the hardest-hit neighbor. Official reports indicate that at least 360 people were killed and hundreds were injured in both countries as of 6.54 a.m. GMT, with the death toll expected to rise.
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According to Turkey’s emergency services, the earthquake killed at least 76 people in seven provinces and injured 440 others.
Unconfirmed reports from local sources, however, indicate that the death toll could be much higher, with horrifying accounts of mass casualties emerging from both countries. Hundreds more people have been injured.
Turkey has officially requested international assistance.
Tremors were reported as far away as Cairo, Egypt, with reports also coming in from Israel, Cyprus, and Lebanon.
More casualties and fires have been reported throughout the night, with images on social media showing collapsed buildings and rubble in the streets.
On Twitter, storm chaser Sam Sagnella stated: “Preliminary M7.7 quake in SE Turkey, which appears to have been relatively shallow; felt throughout the region.
“Earthquakes of this magnitude almost always necessitate an international response. On a local level, significant destruction is likely.”
“Nasty business,” he added, “and this quake has undoubtedly affected people all over the Middle East.”
According to one Twitter user: “Everyone in Israel was awakened by what they felt. Everything is trembling.”
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The first earthquake struck near the city of Gaziantep, about 60 miles from the Syrian border.
The area, along with several cities, is home to millions of Syrian refugees fleeing their country’s long-running civil war. Turkey, which borders Syria to the north, is home to the world’s largest number of Syrian refugees.
On the Syrian side of the border, the earthquake shattered opposition-held areas teeming with several million displaced Syrians and a deteriorating healthcare system after years of war. At least 11 people were killed in one town, Atmed, and many more were buried beneath the rubble, according to Muheeb Qaddour, a local doctor.
“We fear hundreds of deaths,” Qaddour said, referring to the rebel-held northwest. “We’re under a lot of pressure.”
On Twitter, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the earthquake-affected areas.
“We hope to get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with as little damage as possible,” he wrote.
There were at least six aftershocks, and Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu warned residents not to enter damaged buildings because of the dangers.
“Our priority is to get people trapped under ruined buildings out and into hospitals,” he said.
At least 130 buildings have collapsed in Turkey’s Malatya province, according to Governor Hulusi Sahin.
The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the rebel-held northwest region of Syria as “disastrous,” adding that entire buildings had collapsed and people were trapped beneath the rubble. The civil defense urged people to evacuate buildings and congregate in open areas. Rass stated that emergency rooms were overflowing with injured people.
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Footage from Malatya, Turkey, appeared to show a large building completely reduced to rubble in the aftermath, with multiple people calling out across the wreckage.
The earthquake is thought to have hit the city of 800,000 people the hardest so far, with local reports claiming the Avşar Hotel was severely damaged.
Reporters on the ground describe rescue workers and residents searching through piles of tangled metal and concrete rubble in one of the affected cities with flashlights. People on the street called out to those inside a partially collapsed apartment building that was leaning dangerously.
Syrian Civil Defense tweeted about “the collapse of several residential buildings in the northwestern regions,” adding that people were still “trapped under the rubble” during the aftershocks.
“Syrian Civil Defense teams declare a state of emergency to rescue the stranded,” they added.
Residents were later urged to “evacuate residential buildings, go to open spaces, and notify our teams about those trapped under the rubble.”
Syria’s state media reported that buildings in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama had collapsed.
Buildings in Damascus shook, and many people fled to the streets in terror.
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The earthquake jolted residents in Lebanon out of their beds and shook buildings for about 40 seconds. Many Beirut residents left their homes and took to the streets or drove away from the buildings.
The earthquake occurred during a snowstorm that is expected to last until Thursday in the Middle East.
In Syria, the Strep News Agency reported several casualties in the town of Harem in rural Idlib, as well as video footage of destroyed properties.
Colonel Mohsen Kanani, commander of the city of Aleppo’s Fire Brigade, said a “number of buildings” had collapsed in the city. Authorities were mobilizing to “contain the situation,” he confirmed.
The quake was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital, according to the US Geological Survey. It was about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Nurdagi.
It was 18 kilometers (11 miles) deep in the center. After about 10 minutes, a strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled.
Several structures collapsed in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir, and Malatya.
According to journalist Hikmet Durgun, Gaziantep governor Davut Gul stated that the earthquake was a natural disaster “Our city was also severely affected. Please wait outside without panicking.”
“Let’s not start with vehicles,” he added. Keep the main roads clear. Let’s not keep the phones ringing.
The city is located in Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Region, in the westernmost part of the country.
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Mr. Durgun said on Twitter that this was “the first time such a severe earthquake has occurred” in the Turkish city of Mersin, where he said, “fortunately, no buildings were damaged”.
“Unfortunately, there are citizens who have destroyed buildings in several cities,” he added. Protect us, Lord.”
Several buildings were destroyed in Syria’s rebel-held northwest, which borders Turkey.
Buildings in Damascus shook, and many people fled to the streets in terror.
The earthquake jolted residents in Lebanon out of their beds and shook buildings for about 40 seconds. Many Beirut residents left their homes and took to the streets or drove away from the buildings.
Turkey is situated on major fault lines and is frequently jolted by earthquakes.
In 1999, powerful earthquakes struck northwest Turkey, killing 18,000 people.
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