A powerful earthquake struck Türkiye's southern provinces and neighbouring Syria, leaving at least 1,762 people dead within Turkish borders and killing almost 1,300 people in war-torn Syria.
Monday, February 06, 2023
A major earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria, killing over three thousand people as buildings collapsed and triggering a search for survivors trapped in the rubble.
Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said that the 7.7 magnitude quake struck at 4:17 am (0117 GMT) and was centred in the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province on Monday.
AFAD earlier updated the intensity of the quake, which occurred at a depth of 7 kilometres (4.3 miles), from 7.4 to 7.7 magnitude at 0955 GMT.
At least 1,762 people have been reported killed in Türkiye, with 12,068 others injured in the quakes that destroyed 5,606 buildings, according to Orhan Tatar, the General Director of Earthquake and Risk Reduction at AFAD.
Meanwhile, some 6,645 people were rescued from the rubble.
Later in the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced seven days of national mourning. The quakes affected 10 cities where a total of approximately 13.5 million people reside.
The quake was followed by 185 aftershocks, including two magnitude 6.6 and 6.5 quakes that struck southeastern Gaziantep province, and more are expected, according to Tatar.
In Syria, regime and rescue officials reported that almost 1,300 people were killed and over 2,400 others were wounded.
Here are the latest developments:
