At least 2,316 people have been killed and another 13,200 injured in Turkey. In addition, the earthquake has left at least 1,356 dead and 3,411 injured in Syria.
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Euskaraz irakurri: Lurrikara sorta suntsitzaile batek milaka hildako eta zauritu utzi ditu Turkian eta Sirian
More of 3600 people have died for the succession of earthquakes —up to a magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale— registered this Monday in the south of Turkeynear the border with Syriaaccording to data provided by the authorities of both countries, although it is feared that the number could increase in the next few hours because thousands of people have been injured and many are still trapped in the rubble.
Thus, the series of powerful earthquakes has so far left 3,600 dead and more than 15,500 wounded in Syria and Turkey, and has demolished thousands of buildings.
At least 2316 people have died and others 13,200 have been injured in Turkey. In addition, the earthquake has left at least 656 dead and 1,411 injured in areas in the hands of the Bashar Al Assad regime, according to the official SANA news agency.
On the other hand, in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syria’s last opposition stronghold, and in other parts of neighboring Aleppo outside the control of Damascus, other 700 fatalities and about 2,000 injuredaccording to the White Helmets rescue group.
However, it is anticipated that the number of victims increases As the hours go by, and according to the estimates made by the United States Geological Survey, the number could reach 10,000 deaths, according to what the geologist Antonio Aretxabala has specified in the ETB program “En Jake”.
The tremor occurred at 04:17 local time (02:17 in the Basque Country) in the province of Kahramanmaras, in the southeast of the country, near the border with Syria. The earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers, has been felt in several cities, as reported by the Turkish television channel TRT Haber.
Subsequently, numerous aftershocks have been recorded, including three that have reached a magnitude of 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 on the Richter scale.
In addition, around 11:24 a.m. (time in the Basque Country) a second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 It has shaken the southeast of Turkey, already devastated by the earthquake of similar strength this morning. The epicenter of this new tremor is in Elbistan, in the province of Kahramanmaras, about 80 kilometers north of the first.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as “the biggest disaster since the 1939 earthquake“, which left more than 30,000 dead. More recently, the one in Izmit in 1999 (7.6 degrees), which caused thousands of deaths, the one in Van in 2011 (7.2), which caused 600 deaths, and the one in Izmir in 2020 (7.0) that caused 115 deaths.
In addition, 2,800 collapsed buildings have also been recorded so far in 10 provinces in southeastern Anatolia, with Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras as the most seriously affected.
Along these lines, the mayor of Kahramanmaras, Hayrettin Gungor, has acknowledged that the situation is a “disaster” and has added that the authorities “are on the ground with all their capabilities.” “Our request to the citizens is not to crowd and not disturb the traffic. We need to help the (search and rescue) teams,” he argued.
The Minister of the Interior, Suleyman Soylu, has indicated in a press conference that the Turkish Government has declared the highest level of alarmwhich includes the request for international help, and has sent numerous search and rescue teams to the earthquake zones.
Also, the Syrian authorities they will enable shelters to accommodate and feed people whose homes have collapsed or have suffered severe damage due to the earthquake, buildings that in turn will be inspected by experts to determine if they are safe or not.
Given the situation, the Syrian Ministry of Defense has announced the mobilization of all its units and institutions to help the victims, according to a statement collected by the Syrian state news agency, SANA. The country’s president, Bashar al Assad, has also led an emergency government meeting to analyze the situation.
The country’s authorities have indicated that there are several dozen buildings residential, located in various neighborhoods, which have been collapsed as a result of earthquakes.
To these figures must be added more than 220 deaths and 419 wounded in areas controlled by the rebels in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, as detailed in statements to the German news agency DPA by the president of the Syrian American Medical Society. , Basel Termanini. The organization covers about 50 percent of health care in these areas of the Arab country.
Several men carry out the wounded in Hama (Syria). Photo: Sana/EFE
International aid
Turkish authorities have requested emergency assistance from NATO allies. The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) has confirmed Turkey’s request, which asks the rest of the allies for emergency medical equipment, as well as rescue and search teams for survivors and field hospitals to extreme weather conditions.
Brussels has activated the dispatch of rescue teams to Turkey to help after the devastating earthquake that has devastated the center of the country and the border with Syria.
“The teams from the Netherlands and Romania are already on their way,” with the European Union (EU) Emergency Response Coordination Center overseeing their deployment, commissioner Janez Lenarcic tweeted.
In total, 13 EU member states have offered search and rescue teams to assist in rescue efforts. The first 10 teams have been mobilized from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. In addition, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Malta and Slovakia have also offered help.
For his part, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU, Josep Borrellhas remarked that the block is “ready to help” the countries affected after a “devastating” earthquake that “has claimed the lives of hundreds of people and injured many more.”
The EU has mobilized search & rescue teams for Türkiye & is ready to support those affected in Syria following the earthquake that struck #gaziantep region.
Our thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones & the brave responders
what@JanezLenarcichttps://t.co/RymCoNH8Y5
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 6, 2023
satellite system copernicus of the EU has been activated “to provide emergency mapping services”, the European Commission has indicated in a statement.
Likewise, the countries closest to the disaster area such as Israel, Georgia, Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan They have sent rescue teams and doctors.
Source: Eitb
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