The two powerful earthquakes that shook southern Turkey and northern Syria last night and this morning have claimed the lives of nearly 1,600 people in both countries, according to the latest figures. They were felt as far as Greenland, the Danish Geological Institute announced today, quoted by France Presse.
The death toll is expected to continue to rise.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the first 7.8-magnitude quake struck in the middle of the night at 4:17 a.m. local time (1:17 a.m. GMT) in the town of Pazardzuk, in Kahramanmarash County, near the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, about 60 kilometers away. from the Syrian border. The quake was at a depth of 17.9 kilometers. It was followed ten minutes later by a strong aftershock with a magnitude of 6.7 at a depth of 9 kilometers.
At the end of the morning, another strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 shook Southeastern Turkey.
The first of the two tremors was the strongest earthquake in Turkey since the earthquake of August 17, 1999, which killed 17,000 people, including a thousand in Istanbul, France Presse recalled.
Photo: Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
In Turkey, according to the latest data from the authorities, nearly 1,000 people have died. About 5,400 were injured.
Nearly 800 are already the victims in Northern Syria
The death toll in northern Syria now stands at 783, according to Syria’s health ministry and rescue teams. The injured are 2,280, reported France Press.
The dead in the areas of northern Syria, which are under government control, are 403, and the wounded there are 1284. We are talking about data from the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.
According to the “White Helmets” organization operating in the rebel areas, 380 people died in these areas, and more than 1,000 were injured. In these areas under the control of the rebels, about 3,000 volunteers are participating in the rescue operations, the “White Helmets” reported.
At the same time, the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums reported that the tremors damaged the Aleppo citadel and other archaeological sites. Parts of buildings within the citadel have collapsed. Among them are parts of the dome of the mosque within the boundaries of this site.
In the old city of Aleppo, several apartment buildings that are close to the walls of the citadel have also collapsed.
In Hama province, several damaged buildings were also reported in the precincts of the ancient Al Markab Castle in the city of Banyas. In the city itself, there are damaged facades of historical sites.
There are collapsed apartment buildings in Cadmus.
Bulgarian aid
At the moment, there are no reports of injured Bulgarian citizens, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. Our country sent rescue teams and specialized equipment with two Spartan planes to help with rescue operations after the earthquake.
Two teams from the Military Medical Academy (MMA) will also be involved in the assistance that Bulgaria will provide to Turkey. The teams are composed of a doctor-surgeon and an anesthetist nurse and are part of the Modular Military Medical Formations for providing medical assistance in disasters, accidents, catastrophes and others.
Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov stated that Bulgaria is ready to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake, while Turkey is expected to say what it needs.
Search teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania have already been sent to help the victims of the earthquake in Turkey, the European Commission announced.. Earlier today, the EC specified that the European mechanism for civil protection has been activated, with assistance also provided by Italy and Hungary.
A total of ten European search teams have gone to the most affected areas. The European satellite system “Copernicus” is also working to support the Turkish authorities.
The EU expresses readiness to help Syria, also affected by the earthquake.
A number of world leaders have expressed their sympathy and willingness to help after the powerful earthquake in southern Turkey that killed hundreds in Turkey and Syria.
The United States is “deeply concerned” from reports of the disaster, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
US President Joe Biden has ordered the country’s agency for international development to assess how it can help.
Ukraine is ready to provide the necessary assistance to the “friendly Turkish people” after the powerful earthquake today, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, quoted by Reuters.
“I am shocked by the news that hundreds of people have died and been injured as a result of the earthquake in Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. “We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and wish the victims a speedy recovery. At this moment, we are close to the friendly Turkish people, ready to provide the necessary assistance,” the Ukrainian president added.
Shortly after Zelensky’s statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine was ready to send a large number of rescuers to Turkey to help it deal with the crisis caused by the powerful earthquake. “We are working closely with the Turkish side to coordinate their deployment,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile announced that his country is ready to help not only Turkey but also Syria after the devastating earthquake.
“I ordered rescue teams and medical aid to be sent, at the request of the Turkish government,” Netanyahu said. He added that a request to help “the many victims of the earthquake in Syria” had also been received and would be granted.
Netanyahu did not specify who sent this request for help, Reuters notes.
