Thousands Found Dead After the Tragic Earthquake in Turkey and Siria… And the Search Continues

At least 1,300 people were killed in the earthquake in Turkey. Sources confirm the death of 900 people in Turkey and 400 in Syria.

An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale shakes Turkey. The earthquake has hit in several cities. Data from the Turkish and Syrian authorities report the deaths of more than a thousand people after the earthquake, according to data provided by the authorities of both countries.

It’s feared that the total death and injury toll will continue to rise in the coming hours as search and rescue efforts continue through the rubble.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the press that at least 912 people have been killed and 5,385 injured as a result of the earthquake in the country. In addition, he says that it is the “biggest disaster since the earthquake of 1939”, which left more than 30,000 dead.

Catastrophic. The mayor says that the situation on the ground is a “disaster” and asks citizens “not to crowd and not alter traffic”: “We need to help teams search and rescue” he argued.

Turkey has declared the highest level of alarm, which includes the request for international aid and has sent search and rescue teams to the affected areas.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account: “I convey my best wishes to all our citizens who were affected by the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in many parts of our country. All our relevant units are on alert under the coordination of AFAD”.

After the strong earthquake, strong aftershocks followed, reaching a magnitude of 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 on the Richter scale and have been felt in the provinces of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Malatya, Kilis, Diyarbakir, Osmaniye, Adana and Hatay. It was also felt in northern Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Georgia.

This earthquake has been of magnitude 7.6 on the Ritcher scale while the rescue tasks of the other strong earthquake that has razed buildings and where more than a thousand people have died are being carried out.

“An earthquake took place at 13.24 (local time) in the district of Elbistan, in the province of Kahramanmaras,” said the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD)

The total number of deaths in Syria after the earthquake is 473 people and more than a thousand injured. The Syrian authorities reported on Monday that at least 240 people have died, according to data from the Syrian Ministry of Health and there are more than 640 people injured after an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria.

There are several dozen buildings that have collapsed as a result of the earthquakes. In addition, a general emergency and supply plan has been implemented in the affected areas. Most of the victims reside in Ladhiqiyah, Aleppo, Hama and Tartus provinces.

The epicenter of the earthquake was recorded at around 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) in the Pazarcik district of the Kahramanmaras region, about 600 kilometers southeast of Ankara. It occurred at a depth of seven kilometers, according to the Chair of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD).

Rescue efforts continue and they fear that the number of victims and injured will increase. The number of fatalities after this earthquake reaches 1,300: at least 400 people have died according to the Syrian authorities and 900 dead, according to the Turkish authorities.

A farmer from the town where the epicentre has occurred explained that the people of the area are in panic after the event. “We woke up due to a strong earthquake. Our house did not collapse but everything inside the house has fallen to the ground,” he said.

The affected area extends over 500 km in southern Anatolia, where sub-zero temperatures and snowfall are recorded.