Update: +1,600 killed in Turkey-Syria earthquake
Shafaq News/ More than 1,600 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria, where two powerful earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks on Monday collapsed thousands of buildings and raised the specter of a new humanitarian disaster in a region already wracked by war, a refugee crisis, and deep economic troubles.
The initial magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit at 4:17 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey, and was also felt in Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Lebanon. A second, separate 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey about nine hours later on Monday afternoon, the U.S.G.S. said.
Almost 3,000 buildings had collapsed across Turkey alone after the initial quake, Erdogan said, and more than 5,000 people had been injured. “We do not know where the number of dead and injured can go,” he said.
Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, the most in the world from that conflict, according to the United Nations refugee agency, which runs one of its largest operations from Gaziantep. Nearly three million internally displaced Syrians live in the opposition-held areas of Syria, which includes a large part of Idlib province, where many live in tent camps, makeshift shelters or damaged buildings.
Videos shared on social media from Turkey and across the border in Syria showed destroyed buildings and rescue crews searching through piles of rubble for survivors. Some fled their homes in the rain and took shelter in cars as the temperature hovered near freezing.
Governments around the world were quick to respond to requests for international assistance after Monday’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, deploying rescue teams and offering aid.
The European Union said it was urgently dispatching search and rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania to Turkey to help. In a statement, the bloc also said it was directing its satellite system to support Turkish efforts in mapping the quake and its aftermath.
Greece said it was sending a C-130 transport aircraft to help neighboring Turkey, along with 21 members of the Greek fire service’s special disaster management unit, rescue dogs, a rescue vehicle, medics and the head of the government’s organization for disaster management, the Greek Civil Protection Agency said.
India said it was sending medical squads, search and rescue teams and relief material to assist Turkey’s response. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, said he was “anguished” by the loss of life in Turkey and Syria.
The U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement that the United States was “profoundly concerned” by the earthquake and stood “ready to provide any and all needed assistance” to Turkey. President Biden had directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess the U.S. response options, the statement added.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry put 100 staff on standby and stood ready to send two planes with rescuers to Turkey, the Russian news agency Tass reported. President Vladimir Putin also said Russia was ready to provide assistance to Syria, in a telegram to the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, according to Syrian state media.
Russian rescue workers will soon fly to Syria after President Vladimir Putin and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria discussed Russia’s assistance in a phone call, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin will also discuss Russian aid with his Turkish counterpart today, the Kremlin said.
Ukraine, which is battling against a Russian invasion, said it “stands ready to send a large group of rescue workers” to Turkey. “We are working closely with the Turkish side to coordinate their deployment,” the country’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said on Twitter.
The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had ordered the authorities “to make immediate preparations to provide medical, and search and rescue assistance.” Israel’s military said it was preparing to send an aid delegation to Turkey.
The mayor of the coastal city of Latakia, Amer Hilal, told Syrian state TV that 139 people had died in his province and more were still under the rubble. Soldiers and civilians were helping to rescue people, he said. “We prepared 750 shelters, and hotels are open for people who lost their houses,” he said.
Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, the most in the world from that conflict, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The agency runs one of its largest operations from the city of Gaziantep.
