According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck early Monday morning was the biggest disaster in Turkey since 1939. and after a few hours, this already amounts to at least 3400 deaths.
As predicted, authorities feared the death toll would continue to rise as rescuers searched for survivors among piles of metal and concrete. a region engulfed by a 12-year Syrian civil war and a refugee crisis.
Residents, awakened by the pre-dawn earthquake, ran outside in the rain and snow to escape the falling debris, while those trapped screamed for help.
During the day, the region was rocked by significant aftershocks, including a shock almost as strong as the original quake. As night fell, workers continued cutting stone slabs and hauling away bodies as desperate families waited for news of their trapped loved ones.
Tens of thousands of people left homeless in Turkey and Syria are facing a cold night. In Turkey’s Gaziantep, the provincial capital, 20 miles from the epicenter, people have taken refuge in malls, stadiums and community centers. Mosques were opened throughout the region to provide shelter.
The earthquake occurred in the province of Kahramanmaras in southeastern Turkey. he drove the people of Damascus and Beirut into the streets and felt as far away as Cairo.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said officials did not know how much the number of dead and injured would increase.
The earthquake has caused new suffering in a region that has been hard hit over the past decade.
On the Syrian side, the territory is divided between government-controlled territory and the country’s last opposition-controlled enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Meanwhile, Turkey is home to millions of refugees from the civil war.
Hundreds of families are trapped in the rebel-held enclave, the White Helmets, an opposition emergency organization, said in a statement.
The area is home to about 4 million people displaced from other parts of the country as a result of the war. Many of them live in houses already destroyed by previous shelling.
According to rescuers, the overloaded medical facilities quickly filled with victims. According to the SAMS medical organization, others had to be emptied, including a maternity hospital.
More than 6,400 people have been rescued in 10 provinces.according to Orhan Tatar, an official with the Turkish Disaster Management Authority.
This region is located on major fault lines and is often shaken by earthquakes. About 18,000 people were killed in equally powerful earthquakes that hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.
The USGS recorded a 7.8 magnitude quake on Monday at a depth of 18 kilometers (11 miles). Hours later, a 7.5 magnitude aftershock occurred over 60 miles away.
Source: La Opinion
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