Over 44,000 dead following Turkey-Syria earthquake
James Thorpe
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A 7.8 magnitude earthquake which hit central Turkey and northwest Syria on 6 February 2023 has killed and injured thousands of people.
Seismologists have claimed that it could be Turkey’s largest ever earthquake.
The earthquake – which occurred in the early hours of the morning on 6 Feb – has caused major damage to buildings and infrastructure and is said to have also been felt in Cyprus and Lebanon.
Erdem, a resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, told Reuters that he had “never felt anything like it in the 40 years [he had] lived”, whilst Samer, who lives in the Syrian capital, Damascus, explained to the media outlet that they “woke up terrified.”
Across the region, emergency response teams have been searching the rubble for survivors, with the President of the Turkish Red Crescent calling on the nation to make blood donations.
Turkey is situated in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones and the majority of the nation is located on the Anatolian tectonic plate, which sits between the Eurasian, African and Arabian plates.
The country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) recorded over 22,000 quakes and tremors in 2022 alone.
