Istanbul/Damascus: Türkiye and neighbouring Syria suffered heavy casualties owing to major earthquakes that rocked the border regions of both countries thrice within hours today. The total death figure stood at 2300 and is likely to increase sharply as rescuers attending to the affected site are unable to penetrate the rubble to pull out bodies. Thousands of people sustained injuries and also suffered being displaced from their homes as the earthquakes along with after-shocks played havoc and destroyed all social infrastructure including schools, hospitals and residential premises.
Buildings destroyed and hundreds of people are feared to have died after an earthquake in Türkiye.
May Allah protect them and have mercy on us. pic.twitter.com/oIaO9qFyuy
— • (@Alhamdhulillaah) February 6, 2023
On the Syrian side, the deaths reported so far stood above 430 people. Syrian news agency SANA said the earthquake was felt from Latakia on the coast in the west to Damascus. “This earthquake is the strongest since the National Earthquake Centre was founded in 1995,” Raed Ahmed, who heads the centre, told SANA. UN News stated that northern Syria’s Aleppo and Idlib also reportedly saw thousands of building collapse, including two hospitals.
“Humanitarian needs in northern Syria are already huge, as the region is home to millions of people displaced by the country’s long-running war. Snow and rain have hampered the work of rescue teams, whose families are also among those believed to be buried under collapsed buildings,” UN stated.
Northwest Syria is home to around 4.1 million people who rely on humanitarian assistance, the majority being women and children. Besides the Syrian communities are also hit by an ongoing cholera outbreak together with harsh winter weather.
We are shocked by the devastating earthquake that hit #Türkiye and #Syria at the height of a harsh winter.
Our teams are assessing the damage with #UNDAC emergency response and search and rescue teams ready to deploy. pic.twitter.com/Of9YboQAn4
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) February 6, 2023
Türkiye bore the brunt of today’s earthquakes with upward of 1500 deaths across 10 of its provinces. The number of injured stood at 8,500 on the Turkish side. Syria reported that the total number of persons who sustained injuries stood at 1,280. Moreover, the number of deaths that were registered in Syria’s rebel-held Northwest region alone stood at 380.
The first earthquake at around 04: 17 (local time) of 7.8 magnitude – one of the strongest earthquakes in the region in more than 100 years – was centred north of the city of Gaziantep about 90 kilometres (60 miles) from the Syrian border. Its epicentre was near Nurdagi in Gaziantep province, the Syria border. The two aftershocks had their epicentres in Kharamanmaras province, one near the Ekinozu region and the other near the Goksun region of Türkiye.
The Turkish Government issued a Level 4 alarm, calling for international assistance. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated, “The United Nations is fully committed to supporting the response. Our teams are on the ground assessing the needs and providing assistance.” Emergency medical teams from the World Health Organization, (WHO), have been given the green light to provide essential care for the injured and most vulnerable, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said in a tweet.
Rescue workers are searching the mounts of wreckage in the towns and cities in the affected areas. At the time of going to press, the early morning tremors and aftershocks that had wrecked damage to life and property have rendered the conduct of rescue operations difficult owing to rough winter weather.
In an immediate response, the European Union (EU) has mobilised search and rescue teams for Türkiye following its request to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Urban Search and Rescue teams have been quickly mobilised from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania to support the first responders on the ground. The EU’s Copernicus satellite system has also been activated to provide emergency mapping services, and the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre is in direct contact with the authorities in Türkiye to coordinate further support if needed. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Europe stood in full solidarity with the people of Türkiye and Syria.
Following the hardships that will result from the disaster, the Turkish government has ordered all schools and educational institutions to stay closed till February 13, 2023.
In addition to the damage to life and property, the earthquakes also caused the destruction of the historic Gaziantep castle, located on the top of a hill. First built as a watchtower in the Roman period in the second and third centuries C.E, the castle was last renovated in the early 2000s.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was briefed on the earthquake that hit Kahramanmaraş and its neighbouring provinces by the officials at the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
“Our state has taken action with all its institutions starting from the moment of the earthquake, and the governorates have immediately mobilized all their means in their own provinces,” President Erdoğan said in a brief press statement, adding that 10 more governors had been assigned to work with the governors in the 10 provinces hit by the earthquake and that such institutions as AFAD, Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and the Turkish Armed Forces had been stationed in the area.
After the earthquake, a crisis desk has been established in the Presidency and in the provinces where the earthquake was felt. In this process, residence permits, international protection and temporary protection registrations were closed and current appointments have been postponed to a later date in these provinces.
The quake will result in a financial loss of more than USD 1 billion it was estimated, resulting in further erosion of the unstable financial conditions of the two countries. Turkey’s currency is already collapsing at an alarming rate with inflation figures standing at nearly 85%. Syria too will be tasked with facing an uphill climb owing to the dent created on its economy by the ongoing decade-long civil war in the country.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick in reaching out to quake-hit Türkiye and promised all possible humanitarian assistance including rescue teams, medical teams and relief materials. In response to a tweet by the President of Türkiye, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, “Anguished by the loss of lives and damage of property due to the Earthquake in Turkey. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy.”
In another tweet, he expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to the Earthquake in Syria.
In light of Modi’s instructions to offer all possible assistance to cope with the earthquake in Türkiye today, India decided to send Search and Rescue Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Medical Teams along with relief materials immediately in coordination with the Government of Türkiye.
Two teams of NDRF comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment are ready to be flown to the earthquake-hit area for search and rescue operations, India said. Medical Teams are also being readied with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines. Relief material will be dispatched in coordination with the Government of Türkiye and the Indian Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General office in Istanbul.
Condolence messages and promises of support to the quake-affected flooded from various world leaders. United States President Joe Biden offered to send all help that Türkiye would require to combat this disaster and condoned the deaths in the region. “Our initial assistance response to Türkiye is already underway, and U.S.-supported humanitarian organizations in Syria are responding to the earthquakes’ effects across the country. We are determined to do all that we can to help those affected by these earthquakes in the days, weeks, and months ahead,” Antony J. Blinken, US Secretary of State, said in Washington.
Besides, a 75-strong team of rescue workers were dispatched by Japan to assist Türkiye. Italy, Spain and Slovakia have offered their rescue teams to Türkiye as well. The EU also offered to support those affected in Syria through its humanitarian assistance programmes. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak too tweeted that the UK stands ready to help “in whatever way we can”. Israel Defense Forces announced sending out a humanitarian aid delegation to Türkiye. Recalling Türkiye’s immediate help after the devastating earthquake in 1999, Taiwan today sent a 40-member search and rescue team there stating “now it’s our turn to hit the ground running”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President Erdogan and reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to immediately provide necessary assistance in relieving the consequences of the natural disaster. Specific proposals have already been submitted to Turkey through the appropriate channels, Russia said.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis tweeted: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the huge loss of life caused by the earthquake in #Türkiye and in #Syria. Entrusting those who have died to the loving mercy of the Almighty, I pray for the emergency personnel involved in the ongoing relief efforts.”
China said after the earthquake, Chinese embassies and consulates in the region, including in Türkiye and Syria, immediately activated emergency response mechanisms to verify the situation of Chinese citizens affected by the earthquake. “So far, no Chinese casualties have been reported. Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in the affected region will continue to closely follow the situation on the ground and provide consular protection and assistance to Chinese citizens there,” the Chinese foreign ministry stated in Beijing.
The fault lines that can make any region earthquake-prone fall into Turkey’s terrain. Earlier too, Turkey had faced several earthquakes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exhorted the 85 million-strong population to stand as one to combat the crisis.
Türkiye lies in one of the world’s most active seismic zones and is crossed by numerous fault lines. In 1999, almost 18,000 were killed, including about 1,000 in Istanbul, in powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey. Duzce was one of the regions hit by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which was the worst to hit Turkey in decades. Another earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit Elazig in January 2020, killing more than 40 people. In October of the same year, a magnitude- 7.0 quake hit the Aegean Sea, killing 114 people. More than 1,000 were injured then.
– global bihari bureau
