Over 280 dead as powerful earthquake shakes Turkey, Syria
Over 280 dead as powerful earthquake shakes Turkey, Syria. The death toll in Turkey has risen to 284 people according to information from the Presidency.
At least 284 people have died in Turkey, Vice President Fuat Oktay has said, adding that more than 2,300 people have been injured and that search and rescue operations are ongoing in several major cities.
Aftershocks following a large earthquake can continue for “several days, several weeks, maybe even several months,” Chris Elders, professor at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University in Perth Australia, has told Al Jazeera.
“People will continue to feel the effects of the earthquake for some time in this area,” Elders said.
He added that multiple aftershocks of magnitude four or five have already been registered. While of lesser intensity compared to the 7.8 magnitude quake, they were still “very worrying.”
The earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of about 17 kilometres below the earth’s surface, which means that the quake was felt with “much greater intensity than if it was deeper in the crust,” Elders said
Relief organisation says hospitals in Syria ‘overwhelmed’
Mazen Kiwara, Middle East Regional Director for the Syrian American Medical Society, has told Al Jazeera that the healthcare system in Syria is “overwhelmed” from the number of people in need of medical attention, as some hospitals have been damaged by the quake.
Kiwara said his team had to evacuate a maternity hospital in Afrin and reported at least five deaths, including that of a pregnant woman.
“Right now we have a crisis, in addition to very bad weather conditions and collapsed buildings,” he said.
“The effort should be focused on the humanitarian response, especially in shelter and health to protect the population of more than 1.5 million people in northwest Syria alone.”
Rescuers in frantic search for survivors as dozens remain under rubble
Rescue teams are carrying out a frantic search for survivors trapped under tangles of metal and chunks of concrete in cities and towns across Turkey and Syria.
The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.
Death toll likely to keep rising over the next days: Expert
Martin Mai, professor of geophysics at King Abdullah University, has told Al Jazeera that the death toll from “one of the largest earthquakes experienced [in the region] for hundreds of years” is likely to keep rising over the next days.
“In the past, these earthquakes in Turkey have led to about 13,000 fatalities owing to the style of building construction. The sheer size of this event will have a profound economic impact as well,” Mai said.
Italy withdraws tsunami warning after trains halted
Italian authorities have withdrawn a tsunami warning for the country’s southern coast that was raised after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake.
Italy’s Civil Protection Department had issued a statement recommending people to move away from coastal areas. Train traffic in the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria and Apulia had been temporarily halted as a precaution but resumed in the morning, the agency said in the statement.
Syrian health ministry says more than 200 dead
Some 237 people have been killed and 639 injured in Syria in the powerful earthquake, assistant health minister Ahmed Dhamiriyeh has told state television.
The affected swath of Syria is divided between government-held and opposition-held areas.
In rebel-held northwest Syria, the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense described the situation as “disastrous” adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under the rubble.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to provide help
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is ready to provide necessary assistance to Turkish people in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the country.
“We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. We are in this moment close to the Turkish people, ready to provide the necessary assistance,” Zelenskyy said in Turkish on Twitter.
Syria opposition declares emergency, appeals for help
The Syrian Civil Defence has declared a state of emergency in northwestern Syria following Monday’s “catastrophic” earthquake and appealed for international humanitarian assistance.
“The earthquake has resulted in hundreds of injuries, dozens of deaths, and people being stranded in the winter cold. Adverse weather conditions, including low temperatures and stormy weather, have compounded the dire situation,” the opposition group, which is also known as the White Helmets, said in a statement.
The organisation also urged “the international community to support the rescue of civilians in Syria and to put pressure on the Assad regime and its Russian ally to ensure that there is no bombing in the affected areas”.
Daylight reveals the full magnitude of the disaster in northwest #Syria after the #earthquake that struck at dawn today, Monday, February 6. Our teams are on full alert to respond to hundreds of injured and trapped under the rubble. Dozens of victims have been recovered. pic.twitter.com/kA3dMdzuPn
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 6, 2023
More than 100 dead in government-held parts of Syria: Ministry
More than 100 people have been killed in government-held parts of Syria, the Syrian health ministry said in a statement.
“516 injuries and 111 deaths recorded in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus,” the ministry said in a statemen