Supporting Turkiye and Syria - High Magnitude Earthquake Continues To Impact The Region

On Monday, February 6th, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit both Syria and Turkiye, with several aftershocks. This earthquake was extremely intense because of both its magnitude and a fault rupture of about 18 km below the Earth’s surface—leading to severe surface movements. Another earthquake of 5.7 magnitudes hit on Tuesday, with “hundreds of aftershocks in between” (as stated by CBC news). These earthquakes are the deadliest to occur worldwide in the past decade, especially when compared with the 2011 Japan tsunami (a magnitude of 9.0), killing nearly 20 000 people. According to CBC news, as the death toll rises and rescue teams are sent out, videos and photos taken by witnesses “show widespread rubble from collapsed buildings and countless people being rescued from crushing debris.” Not to mention the intense cold weather and lack of food (and water) put more strain on injured people.

Moreover, the death toll has been confirmed to be above 12 000, and according to Al Jazeera news, 7,340 have been rescued. Further, several countries have decided and “pledged to aid in search and rescue operations” in the countries affected by this devastating crisis. 7,340 people have been rescued. Further, several countries have decided and “pledged to aid in search and rescue operations” in the countries affected by this devastating crisis. One way that you can help is by donating to organizations that will aid rescue teams, families, etc. One such organization is rescue.org. To learn more, visit this link: https://www.rescue.org/article/how-help-after-syria-turkey-earthquake.

Sources

i. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-earthquake-in-turkey-was-so-damaging-and-deadly/

ii. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/2/6/many-dead-as-powerful-quake-shakes-turkey-syria