The toll of this natural disaster is terrible and unfortunately it is only temporary. An earthquake struck southern Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday, killing nearly 100 people in both countries and causing extensive damage.
Some 42 people have been killed in several cities in Syria, according to state media, and at least 53 in Turkey according to an AFP tally based on official sources. According to the American seismological institute USGS, of magnitude 7.8 the earthquake took place at 04:17, at a depth of approximately 17.9 kilometers.
The epicenter in Turkey
The epicenter is located in the district of Pazarcik, in the province of Kahramanmaras (south-east), about 60 km as the crow flies from the Syrian border. This earthquake is the largest in Turkey since the earthquake of August 17, 1999, which caused the death of 17,000 people, including a thousand in Istanbul.
At least 23 people have been killed and 420 others injured in Malatya province, its governor told public broadcaster TRT. The governor of Sanliurfa, quoted by the state agency Anadolu, for his part reported 17 dead and 30 injured in his province. At least six others were killed in Diyarbakir province, its governor said.
Ankara calls for “international aid”
According to AFAD, the government’s disaster management agency, the earthquake that occurred overnight had a magnitude of 7.4 and a depth of 7 km. The tremors were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus. Videos posted on social media show destroyed buildings in several cities in southeastern Turkey. The mayor of the city of Adana, Zeydan Karalar, said that two buildings of 17 floors and 14 floors had been destroyed, according to the TRT channel.
“All our teams are on alert. We have issued a level four alarm. It is a call, including for international help,” Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu told the Haberturk channel. Turkish rescuers and civil defense as well as Syrian firefighters are still at work this Monday morning to try to extract possible victims from the rubble, according to local media.