Earthquake on the border with Syria – many dead

Istanbul According to official information, more than 1,900 people died in several severe earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border region. According to the civil protection authority, there were at least 1,121 victims in Turkey alone. More than 2,800 buildings were destroyed, said Yunus Sezer, head of the authorities.

In Syria, the death toll rose to more than 780. Around 2,200 people were injured, reported Deputy Health Minister Ahmed Dhamirijeh and the aid organization SAMS, which works in rebel-held areas of the country.

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey early Monday morning. According to the civil protection agency Afad, the epicenter was in the province of Kahramanmaras near the Syrian border. Another earthquake measuring 6.6 was measured shortly afterwards in the province of Gaziantep. In an updated assessment, the Geoforschungszentrum Potsdam gave the strength as 7.8 and 6.7. According to official information, the earthquake was also felt in Israel.

At noon, the earth shook again with a magnitude of 7.5. The epicenter was again in the province of Kahramanmaras, said the Turkish seismic authority Kandilli.

According to Sana, buildings in numerous cities in Syria collapsed. Photos showed rescue teams carrying people away on stretchers. The head of the National Earthquake Center, Raed Ahmed, said this was the strongest tremor to hit Syria since 1995, according to Sana.

The rescue organization White Helmets, for its part, spoke of dozens of deaths. “We are responding with everything we can to rescue those who are under the rubble,” said group leader Raed Al Saleh.

Much of Turkey in constant danger of earthquakes

According to the interior minister, several provinces in Turkey are affected. buildings had collapsed. Rescue teams from across the country would be pulled together. In addition, alarm level four was declared and international help was requested. Several airports in the region have been damaged and closed.

The country is asking its NATO partners for support in the rescue and salvage work. According to a list released Monday by the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Turkey needs emergency medical teams, emergency medical equipment and search and rescue teams that can work in difficult conditions. Specifically, three field hospitals suitable for extreme weather conditions and personnel for their establishment are also named.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter: “We hope that we can get through this disaster together in the shortest possible time and with as little damage as possible.”

In the meantime, a large number of countries have offered Turkey their support. Among other things, the NATO partners have announced help. Allies are in the process of mobilizing support, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Monday morning via the short message service Twitter. The EU Commissioner responsible, Janez Lenarcic, said that the EU’s Center for Disaster Relief would coordinate the deployment of European rescue workers. The first teams from at least ten EU countries are currently being mobilized.

Germany will also help in northern Syria through aid organizations such as Malteser International, the Federal Foreign Office said. A crisis team is to meet in the afternoon to coordinate German aid. “We will set in motion all the help that we can activate,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made similar statements.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tweeted that he had told Turkish officials that the United States was ready to help with the rescue effort. Despite the severe tensions with Turkey, Greece is also ready to send rescue teams to the earthquake area. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his country would “help immediately”.

Turkey is repeatedly affected by severe earthquakes. Two of the largest continental plates meet there: the African and the Eurasian. In fact, most of the Turkish population lives in constant danger of earthquakes.

In October 2020, more than 100 people died in Izmir in one of the most serious earthquakes in recent years. In 1999, Turkey was hit by one of the worst natural disasters in its history: a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the region around the north-western industrial city of Izmit claimed the lives of more than 17,000 people. Experts are also expecting a strong earthquake in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, in the near future.

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