Deadly earthquake ravages Turkey, Syria — Key developments

A region that sit on major seismic fault lines, Turkey is frequently by earthquakes. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said bitter weather was making search and rescue efforts arduous. “Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts although winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night makes things more difficult,” he said.

Several nations and international organisations have offered their assistance. Reaching out to Turkey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that it will dispatch two teams of National Disaster Response Force to the disaster area. These teams included specially trained dog squads and equipment. In collaboration with the Turkish government, medical personnel were getting ready and relief supplies were being deployed.

Gaziantep, the region where earthquake hit.

Here are the key developments as Turkey, Syria reel from the aftermath of quakes

🔴 Rescue operations were still underway on a war footing with several people believed to be trapped under rubble. Death toll is expected to go up. President Erdogan said over 2800 buildings had collapsed due to the earthquake.

🔴 In addition to deaths, President Erdogan said 5,383 had been injured. The President also stated that a total of 45 countries had offered to help the search and rescue efforts.

🔴 The quake, which was centered on Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, was felt as far away as Cairo, according to news agency Associated Press.

🔴 Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. This was Turkey’s most severe quake since 1999, when one of similar magnitude devastated Izmit and the heavily populated eastern Marmara Sea region near Istanbul. Over 17,000 people died in that earthquake.

🔴 According to AP, a hospital in Turkey collapsed, and patients, including newborns, were evacuated from facilities in Syria.

🔴  In Syria, the earthquake sent people rushing into the streets in the country’s north, where air strikes and shelling have already traumatised the population and weakened the foundations of many buildings. In the rebel-held town of Jandaris in Aleppo province, a mound of concrete, steel rods and bundles of clothes lay where a multi-storey building once stood.

🔴  President Bashar al-Assad held an emergency cabinet meeting to review the damage and discuss the next steps, his office said.

🔴 US President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter he was “deeply saddened” by the lost of life and devastation in Syria and Turkey, adding: “I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye and provide any and all needed assistance.”

🔴 WHO chief Tedros said it activated its network of emergency medical teams to provide essential health care for the injured and most vulnerable affected by the disaster.

Civil defense workers and security forces carry an earthquake victim as they search through the wreckage of collapsed buildings in Hama, Syria, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. AP/PTI)

🔴  The EU has reportedly communicated with Turkish authorities and activated its Copernicus satellite mapping programme to assist first responders on the ground, according to European Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenari. It has also mobilised Ten search and rescue teams.

🔴  Russia’s emergencies ministry said two IL-76 aircraft with 100 rescuers were ready to fly out to Turkey if required. President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences and expressions of support to the leaders of Turkey and Syria, where Russian troops have been assisting the Syrian military.

People search for survivors under the rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey. (Reuters)

🔴  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday in a rare gesture to the adversarial Arab state that Israel is prepared to extend its assistance to earthquake-stricken Turkey to Syrian suffering as well.

With inputs from AP, Reuters

From the homepage

‘There is confusion’: SC directs EC to give details of 3.66 lakh voters deleted from final Bihar electoral roll

Found dead with gunshot wound, IPS officer Puran Kumar was known for speaking up against caste bias, administrative issues

Removed after Rajasthan hospital blaze, doctor claims warnings about ‘current leakage’ were ignored