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More than 3,000 people have died in a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southeastern California on Monday. Turkey and northern Syria, and this was felt even as far as Greenland.
IN Turkey, where the epicenter was reported, at least 1,762 people have died, according to the latest balance provided by emergency services. Authorities added that more than 11,000 people were injured.
In Syria, the earthquake killed at least 1,293 people and injured more than 2,400. The Syrian Ministry of Health has reported 593 dead and 1,403 injured in government-controlled areas of the war-torn country.
The White Helmets, which operate in rebel-controlled parts of Syria, said at least 700 people were killed and more than 1,050 were injured in those sectors.
“The situation is very serious, many people are still under the rubble of buildings,” said surgeon Majid Ibrahim from Al-Rahma Hospital in the Syrian city of Darkush.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the shock was felt at 04:17 (local time) at a depth of 17.9 km. The epicenter was located in the Pazarchik region, in the southeast of the city. Turkeyabout 60 km from the Syrian border.
About fifty aftershocks were recorded, including a magnitude 7.5 that occurred nine hours later four kilometers southeast of Ekinoso.
seven days of mourning Turkey
The number of victims is worsening by the hour due to the large number of destroyed buildings – about 3,471, according to authorities – in cities such as Adana, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Diayarbakir.
World Health Organization (WHO) warned AFP that the death toll could be eight times higher.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared seven days of mourning for the dead. “Our flag will be flown at half mast before sunset on Sunday,” he tweeted.
His handling of this tragedy will carry great weight in the May 14 elections.
Because of the earthquake, most of the people were asleep at dawn.
“We thought it was the apocalypse,” reporter Melisa Salman, who lives in Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the quake, told AFP.
“We left at half past five in the morning. It is raining, but no one dares to return to their homes for fear of new tremors,” added the 23-year-old man.
In Diyarbakir, about 380 km to the east, Mukhittin Orakchi witnessed rescue work in front of a collapsed building. “Seven members of our family are under the rubble,” he said.
And in Sanliurfa, a few kilometers from Syria, 30-year-old Emin Kachmaz explained that he would not be home all night. “The building is not guarded,” he said.
“The whole building collapsed”
This earthquake is the largest in Turkey after the earthquake on August 17, 1999, which claimed the lives of 17,000 people, a thousand of them in Istanbul.
According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, at least three airports in the affected area – Hatay, Maras and Gaziantep – are closed.
Snow and storms that have hit the region have hampered traffic in other areas, including Diyarbakir, AFP reported.
In the Syrian city of Azmarin, on the border with TurkeyOsama Abdelhamid said he felt trembling in his sleep.
“With my wife and children, we ran to the door of our apartment on the third floor. When we opened it, the whole building collapsed,” he said.
The Syrian news agency SANA released images showing extensive destruction in several cities, including in Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast, where entire buildings collapsed.
Buildings also collapsed in Hama, in the center of the country, and in Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city in the north, where the famous citadel was damaged.
The Ministry of Education announced the closure of schools in all government-controlled regions until the weekend.
Raed Ahmed, head of the Syrian National Seismic Monitoring Centre, told official radio that this was “historically the strongest earthquake on record.”
Minute of silence at the UN
The UN General Assembly honored the victims of the earthquake with a moment of silence, while Secretary General António Guterres expressed “deep sorrow”.
The Syrian government turned to the international community for help, which announced the dispatch of rescue teams.
This has been the case for the European Union (EU) and many of its member countries. So did Britain, Israel, India, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, as well as Greece, a historical rival Turkey.
US President Joe Biden promised for his part “all necessary assistance.”
And the Russian President Vladimir Putinwho held talks with their counterparts from both countries, assured that rescue teams would be sent.
Other leaders, such as Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping, offered their condolences to the victims.
Turkey It is located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world.
Experts have long warned that a major earthquake could destroy Istanbul, allowing massive construction to begin without precaution.
(According to AFP)
Source: RPP
I’m a passionate and motivated journalist with a focus on world news. My experience spans across various media outlets, including Buna Times where I serve as an author. Over the years, I have become well-versed in researching and reporting on global topics, ranging from international politics to current events.