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Here is some more footage from the rescue effort:
Death toll passes 4,300 in 24 hours
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 2,921 from 2,379 a few hours ago, Turkey’s Andalou agency reports, citing the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
The latest toll from Syria remains 1,444, bringing the number of confirmed deaths to 4,365.
It has now been just over 24 hours since the first earthquake hit.
#BREAKING Death toll from earthquakes in southern Türkiye rises to 2,921, with 15,834 injuries, says disaster agency pic.twitter.com/tdMh5F2g8y
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 7, 2023
Updated
Front pages
Here is how some of the UK’s newspapers have framed the news:
Tuesday's Guardian: 'Catastrophic' - thousands dead as earthquake hits Turkey and Syria #TomorrowsPapersToday #TheGuardian #Guardian pic.twitter.com/GKnKaFXktE
— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) February 6, 2023
Tuesday's Times: Giant earthquake kills thousands in their sleep #TomorrowsPapersToday #TheTimes #Times pic.twitter.com/1Yxgar55lH
— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) February 6, 2023
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 6, 2023
'Sturgeon trans row set us back years, says Salmond'#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/UWVj6VN3ak
Tuesday's Express: Quake Horror #TomorrowsPapersToday #DailyExpress #Express pic.twitter.com/A45TwU8Wt4
— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) February 6, 2023
Tuesday's FT: Thousands dead after biggest quake in 84 years shakes Turkey and Syria #TomorrowsPapersToday #FinancialTimes #FT pic.twitter.com/glYfUDd8bL
— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) February 6, 2023
Tens of thousands of people are now homeless in Turkey and Syria, and have spent the night in freezing temperatures. In the Turkish city of Gaziantep, a provincial capital about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from the epicentre, people took refuge in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centres, the Associated Press reports.
Turkey’s Andalou Agency reports that a woman has been rescued after 22 hours stuck under the rubble:
A woman is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in southeastern province of Sanliurfa after 22 hours https://t.co/9XuWtuDWGi pic.twitter.com/A7kpzGEkhd
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 7, 2023
Syria's UN envoy says aid will reach 'all Syrians in all territory of Syria'
Syria’s envoy to the UN said Monday that aid sent after the earthquake will reach all its population, even though Damascus does not control all of its territory.
Asked if aid donated to Syria – some areas are held by rebels – would reach all of the population, Syria’s UN envoy Bassam Sabbagh said it would.
“We assure the UN that we are ready to help and to coordinate to provide assistance to all Syrians in all territory of Syria,” Sabbagh said after meeting with UN secretary general António Guterres to convey a Syrian government request for aid.
“We are ready to help also those who wanted to provide the help in all Syria,” he stressed.
Today humanitarian aid in rebel-held areas usually arrives through Turkey, thanks to a cross-border mechanism created in 2014 by a UN security council resolution.
But this mechanism is contested by Damascus and its ally Moscow, who call the system a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
Under pressure from Russia and China, the number of crossing points has been reduced over time from four to one.
Asked about the possible opening of new crossing points to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake, the Syrian ambassador seemed to reject the idea on Monday.
“I said we are ready to work with all who wanted to provide Syrians from inside Syria,” he said in English.
“So access from inside Syria are there. So if anyone would like to help Syria, they can coordinate with the government and we will be ready to do so.”
Updated
20 prisoners escape from jail holding mostly IS members
Prisoners mutinied in a northwestern Syria prison Monday after the earthquake, with at least 20 escaping the jail holding mostly Islamic State group members, a source at the facility told AFP.
The military police prison in the town of Rajo near the Turkish border holds about 2,000 inmates, with about 1,300 of them suspected to be IS fighters, said the source.
The prison also holds fighters from Kurdish-led forces.
“After the earthquake struck, Rajo was affected and inmates started to mutiny and took control of parts of the prison,” said the official at Rajo jail, which is controlled by pro-Turkish factions.
“About 20 prisoners fled … who are believed to be IS militants.”
Updated
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has issued an order to send rescue workers and emergency medical items to Turkey, Yoon’s office said on Tuesday.
“Yoon ordered related government agencies … to come up with additional support measures in case needed by Turkey,” the presidential office said in a statement.
Updated
This young girl has lost her entire family, according to Middle East Institute Director Charles Lister:
This child’s entire family were killed in the earthquake — and by some miracle, she survived, but left an orphan.
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) February 6, 2023
Born into a 12yr-old war & confronted with the ugly reality this world can represent.
No more words.
pic.twitter.com/7pRfMQFjti
In this video from Turkey, a man weeps as he begs for help, “How can I find my mother and father here, please send a team, I need a crane,” he says.
"How can I find my mother and father here, please send a team, I need a crane" [Then gives his address.] Just terrible. https://t.co/mOPhdtwxa9
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) February 6, 2023
In this heartbreaking video taken in the Syrian border town of Jenderes, a father thanks God over and over as he cradles his child, before he says, “it’s broken our backs”.
Later, an older man says his family are still under the rubble but there’s no one to help them. They can hear the sounds, but there’s nothing or no one to get them out. Then he appeals for the world to help. Thanks to my colleague Antoun Issa for his help with the translation:
📹 "نسمع أصواتا، لا يزالون أحياء لكن ليس هناك من يخرجهم"
— فرانس برس بالعربية (@AFPar) February 6, 2023
في بلدة جنديرس السورية الحدودية مع #تركيا، سوريون مفجوعون بصغارهم وآباء يسمعون استغاثات أفراد عائلاتهم من تحت الركام الناجم عن الزلزال المدمّر.#فرانس_برس #سوريا pic.twitter.com/HiILfHxrzG
Updated
Summary
My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest from Turkey and Syria as it happens.
If you have questions, news you think we may have missed, or are in Turkey or Syria and would like to get in touch, you can find me on Twitter here @helenrsullivan.
It is currently 3.30 am in Gaziantep, Turkey. Here is where things stand at the moment.
International rescue missions were rushing to Turkey and Syria on Monday after one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the region in at least a century left more than 3,800 people dead, thousands injured and an unknown number trapped in the rubble. The early-morning quake and dozens of aftershocks wiped out entire apartment blocks in Turkey and heaped more destruction on Syrian communities already devastated by over a decade of war.
At least 2,379, have been confirmed dead in Turkey, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, and 1,444 in Syria, according to figures from the Damascus Government and rescue workers. Thousands more are injured, and the death toll is expected to rise.
The first quake struck as people slept, and measured magnitude 7.8, one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century. It was felt as far away as Cyprus and Cairo. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km.
In 1999, when a tremor of similar magnitude hit the heavily populated eastern Marmara Sea region near Istanbul, it killed more than 17,000.
The death toll could rise to over 20,000, the World Health Organization’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, said. “There’s continued potential of further collapses to happen so we do often see in the order of eight fold increases on the initial numbers,” she told AFP, speaking when the estimated toll stood at 2,600. “We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows,” Smallwood added.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to offer condolences and reaffirm Washington’s readiness to assist in rescue efforts, the White House said. Biden “noted that US teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,” the White House said in a statement.
More than 10 search and rescue teams from the European Union have been mobilised to help with the recovery, a spokesperson for the European Commission said. The US, UK, Canada, Israel, Russia and China are among other nations to have offered assistance and calls have emerged for the international community to relax some of the political restrictions on aid entering north-west Syria, the country’s last rebel-held enclave and one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake.
There have been more than a 100 smaller aftershocks registered by seismologists.
Turkey’s armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected.
Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is under construction, was not damaged by the earthquake, an official from the Russian company building the plant said.
The Swedish presidency of the European Union has activated the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) to coordinate EU support measures in response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the EU Council said in a statement. The IPCR arrangements strengthen the EU’s ability to take rapid decisions when facing major cross-sectoral crises requiring a response at the EU level.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for increased funding for humanitarian aid in Syria, saying that many people in the north-west of the country have already been displaced up to 20 times, and that medical care in the region was “strained beyond capacity, even before this tragedy”.
The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.
Updated
'The number of the people in need keep increasing and the crisis keeps deepening,' says UN official
A top UN humanitarian official said damage to roads, fuel shortages and harsh winter weather in Syria were hampering the agency’s response to an earthquake on Monday that killed more than 1,444 in the country and left millions in need of aid, Timour Azhari reports for Reuters.
“The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged, we have to be creative in how to get to the people … but we are working hard,” UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters in an interview via video link from Damascus.
Even before the magnitude 7.8 quake struck in the early hours of Monday morning, the UN estimated that more than 4 million people in northwest Syria, many displaced by the 12-year conflict and living in camps, depended on cross-border aid.
While Syrian frontlines have been largely frozen for years, a deepening economic crisis has exacted a heavy toll across the fractured nation, leading to fuel shortages, increased power cuts and growing deprivation.
The United Nations says the number of people in need of humanitarian support is greater than at any point since the war began, with 70% of the population requiring aid.
And that was before the quake struck. Now, “they are the same people, suffering more,” Benlamlih said.
“Whatever we have, we are using it for now. And hopefully we will be able to get that replenished for the normal needs,” Benlamlih said.
“Whatever we have, we are using it for now. And hopefully we will be able to get that replenished for the normal needs,” Benlamlih said.
“When we are getting less than 50% of funding, it’s not that we managed.. The number of the people in need keep increasing and the crisis keeps deepening.”
These aerial photos give an idea of the scale of the destruction. The below images show almost every building in the Syrian village of in Besnia levelled by the earthquake:
WHO says death toll could rise eight fold
The World Health Organization’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, says that the death toll could rise to over 20,000.
“There’s continued potential of further collapses to happen so we do often see in the order of eight fold increases on the initial numbers,” she told AFP, speaking when the estimated toll stood at 2,600.
“We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows,” Smallwood added.
Reuters has a report from the ground in Hatay, where it describes the screams of people trapped and begging to be rescued or for help for their loved ones.
Temperatures fell close to freezing overnight, worsening conditions for people trapped under rubble or left homeless. A local resident who gave his name as Deniz wrung his hands said, “They’re making noises but nobody is coming.”
“We’re devastated, we’re devastated. My God … They’re calling out. They’re saying, ‘Save us,’ but we can’t save them. How are we going to save them? There has been nobody since the morning.”
Biden re-affirms US support in call with Erdogan
US President Joe Biden spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to offer condolences and reaffirm Washington’s readiness to assist in rescue efforts, the White House said.
Biden “noted that US teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,” the White House said in a statement.
Updated
Death toll rises to over 3,800
The death toll in Turkey has risen to 2,379, with the latest available figures from Syria standing at 1,444. This takes the total number of dead so far to over 3,823.
Thousands more are injured, and the recovery effort is far from over. The toll is expected to rise significantly.
Summary
It’s approaching 2am in Turkey. Almost 4,000 people have been killed after two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria within the space of 12 hours.
In a recently released update, Turkey said 2,379 people have been killed and 13,293 injured in the devastating earthquake. The emergencies services added that 7,340 people had been rescued so far. Along with 1,444 fatalities in Syria, that takes the total number of people who have died in the tragedy to 3,823.
More than 10 search and rescue teams from the European Union have been mobilised in the wake of the earthquake that has hit Turkey, a spokesperson for the European Commission said. The US, UK, Canada, Israel, Russia and China are among other nations to have offered assistance and calls have emerged for the international community to relax some of the political restrictions on aid entering north-west Syria, the country’s last rebel-held enclave and one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake.
The first quake struck as people slept, and measured magnitude 7.8, one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century. It was felt as far away as Cyprus and Cairo. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km. There have been more than a 100 smaller aftershocks registered by seismologists.
The first quake had its epicentre near Gaziantep, and it has damaged the historic castle there which had been in use since Roman times.
Turkey’s armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected.
Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is under construction, was not damaged by the earthquake, an official from the Russian company building the plant said.
The Swedish presidency of the European Union has activated the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) to coordinate EU support measures in response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the EU Council said in a statement. The IPCR arrangements strengthen the EU’s ability to take rapid decisions when facing major cross-sectoral crises requiring a response at the EU level.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for increased funding for humanitarian aid in Syria, saying that many people in the north-west of the country have already been displaced up to 20 times, and that medical care in the region was “strained beyond capacity, even before this tragedy”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was concerned about areas in Turkey from which there had been no news following the earthquake.
In 1999, a tremor of similar magnitude to today’s quakes in Turkey devastated Izmit killing more than 17,000. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Monday as the worst disaster for the country since 1939, when an earthquake killed over 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.
The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.
There were no reports of British fatalities in the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, said foreign secretary James Cleverly, acknowledging the relief effort was still at an early stage.
The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria halted operations at Turkey’s major oil export hub in Ceyhan and stopped key crude oil flows from Iraq and Azerbaijan, officials said. The Tribeca shipping agency said in a notice that the BTC terminal at Ceyhan that exports Azeri crude oil will be closed through Wednesday pending damage assessments.
Updated
“Can anyone hear me?” rescuers shouted as they searched in the province of Kahramanmaras.
In some places around southeast Turkey, survivors could be heard screaming from beneath collapsed buildings.
The death toll from today’s catastrophic earthquake is steadily climbing, with 2,379 confirmed deaths now in Turkey. The number of injured has also increased to 14,483.
That takes the total number of fatalities to 3,823.
The latest death toll in Syria has been released, with 1,444 confirmed fatalities.
Combined with the 2,316 people known to have died in Turkey, that takes the death toll currently to 3,756, although that is expected to continue to rise throughout the night.
Updated
Death toll passes 3,500
In a recently released update, Turkey said 2,316 people have been killed and 13,293 injured in the devastating earthquake.
The emergencies services added that 7,340 people had been rescued so far. The update brings the total number of victims to 3,613, according to AFP, which would mean 1,297 fatalities in Syria.
Updated
Death toll passes 3,000
The combined death toll rose to more than 3,000 for Turkey and Syria on Monday after the region’s strongest earthquake in nearly a century.
In Turkey, the death toll stood at 1,762, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, and 12,068 people were recorded as injured, Reuters reported.
At least 1,293 people were killed in Syria, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the north-western region controlled by insurgents.
Updated
The US president, Joe Biden, and Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, are expected to speak soon following the earthquake, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The call will come as top US leaders have pledged to provide Turkey with aid.
Updated
The United States has deployed a team of disaster response specialists after an earthquake killed more than 2,700 people in Turkey and north-west Syria, USAid administrator Samantha Power said.
The Disaster Assistance Response Team “will work in close coordination with Turkish authorities on the frontlines, as well as with our partners on the ground and agencies across the US government,” Power said in a statement.
USAid is also in the process of deploying two urban search and rescue teams from Virginia and California, the statement said.
Updated
The Swedish presidency of the European Union has activated the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) to coordinate EU support measures in response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the EU Council said in a statement on Monday.
The IPCR arrangements strengthen the EU’s ability to take rapid decisions when facing major cross-sectoral crises requiring a response at the EU level.
Through this mechanism, the presidency of the council coordinates the political response to the crisis by bringing together EU institutions, member states and other key actors.
International rescue missions were rushing to Turkey and Syria on Monday after one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the region in at least a century left more than 2,600 people dead, thousands injured and an unknown number trapped in the rubble.
The early-morning quake and dozens of aftershocks wiped out entire apartment blocks in Turkey and heaped more destruction on Syrian communities already devastated by over a decade of war.
Pledges of emergency assistance to both countries have poured in from across the globe, with calls for Damascus to allow aid into north-west Syria, the last rebel-held enclave and one of the areas worst hit by the shaking.
The magnitude 7.8 quake, which hit in the darkness of a winter morning, was followed by a second, 7.7 quake in the middle of the day on Monday, as rescuers in both countries were still attempting to search for survivors.
By the early evening, the death toll in Turkey stood at 1,651, the health minister, Fahrettin Koca, said, and more than 11,000 people were recorded as injured. Yunus Sezer, who heads Turkey’s disaster relief agency AFAD, said nearly 15,000 search and rescue personnel had been deployed to the region.
At least 968 people were killed in Syria, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the north-western region, which is controlled by rebel groups.
The toll was expected to rise as rescue workers and residents searched frantically for survivors under the rubble of crushed buildings in cities on both sides of the border.
A massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday halted operations at Turkey’s major oil export hub in Ceyhan and stopped key crude oil flows from Iraq and Azerbaijan, officials said.
The Tribeca shipping agency said in a notice that the BTC terminal at Ceyhan that exports Azeri crude oil will be closed through Wednesday pending damage assessments. Azerbaijan uses the Turkish port of Ceyhan as its main crude export hub, with a flow of about 650,000 barrels a day (bpd), Reuters reported.
BP Azerbaijan said a “small” oil leak had been found at Ceyhan, which led to operations being halted, and had been stopped. A source familiar with Azeri flows said there was sufficient storage capacity in Ceyhan and in Azerbaijan, and a second source said flows could be reduced if needed.
Three sources with direct knowledge added the BTC pipeline was undamaged and Azerbaijan’s storage at Sangachal, south of Baku, could alone allow current production levels to continue for four days.
At least 2,600 people have been confirmed dead after two strong earthquakes hit within 12 hours of each other, affecting cities across Turkey and Syria.
Drone footage shows members of the White Helmets emergency response team, also known as the Syrian civil defence, gathering next to a damaged building in the Syrian city of Sarmada, hours after the first earthquake hit.
Rescue operations are ongoing as many are believed to still be trapped in rubble. A member of the White Helmets pleads with the international community for help to rescue the people of Syria.
More than 1,300 people were killed when an earthquake struck central Turkey and north-west Syria, in one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century, while a second powerful quake hours later threatened to overwhelm rescue efforts.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning, was followed by a 7.7 one in the middle of the day on Monday, as rescuers in both countries were still attempting to search for survivors.
Summary
At least 2,600 people have been killed after two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria within the space of 12 hours. The death toll is expected to rise, with search and rescue operations under way across the region as many buildings have collapsed and there are thought to be many people trapped in the rubble.
Official figures from Turkey said 1,651 people were killed across 10 provinces, with another 11,119 injured, according to the country’s health minister. The death toll in government-held areas of Syria rose to 968 people, with 1,280 injured, according to data from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the northwestern region controlled by insurgents.
More than 10 search and rescue teams from the European Union have been mobilised in the wake of the earthquake that has hit Turkey, a spokesperson for the European Commission said. The US, UK, Canada, Israel, Russia and China are among other nations to have offered assistance and calls have emerged for the international community to relax some of the political restrictions on aid entering north-west Syria, the country’s last rebel-held enclave and one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake.
The first quake struck as people slept, and measured magnitude 7.8, one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century. It was felt as far away as Cyprus and Cairo. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km. There have been more than a 100 smaller aftershocks registered by seismologists.
The first quake had its epicentre near Gaziantep, and it has damaged the historic castle there which had been in use since Roman times.
Turkey’s armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected.
Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is under construction, was not damaged by the earthquake, an official from the Russian company building the plant said.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for increased funding for humanitarian aid in Syria, saying that many people in the north-west of the country have already been displaced up to 20 times, and that medical care in the region was “strained beyond capacity, even before this tragedy”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was concerned about areas in Turkey from which there had been no news following the earthquake.
In 1999, a tremor of similar magnitude to today’s quakes in Turkey devastated Izmit killing more than 17,000. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Monday as the worst disaster for the country since 1939, when an earthquake killed over 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.
The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.
There were no reports of British fatalities in the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, said foreign secretary James Cleverly, acknowledging the relief effort was still at an early stage.
Combined death toll in Turkey and Syria rises to at least 2,600
Reuters reports that the death toll from Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has now climbed to over 2,600 people.
At least 1,651 people were killed across 10 provinces of Turkey, with another 11,119 injured, according to the country’s health minister. The death toll in government-held areas of Syria rose to 968 people, with 1,280 injured, according to data from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the northwestern region controlled by insurgents.
In Syria, already wrecked by more than 11 years of civil war, the health ministry said 538 people had been killed and more than 1,326 injured. In the Syrian rebel-held northwest, emergency workers said 430 people had died.
The number is expected to continue to rise rapidly, with many people believed to be trapped under rubble in collapsed buildings.
Updated
Reuters reports the United States is sending two, 79-person search-and-rescue teams to assist Turkish officials responding to the earthquake that killed more than 2,400 people in that country and Syria, according to the White House.
Updated
Turkey’s nuclear regulatory authority told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the earthquakes have not impacted the country’s nuclear safety and security.
As of now, no impact from earthquakes on nuclear safety & security in Türkiye, its Nuclear Regulatory Authority told IAEA; no issues so far related to radiological safety & security of radioactive sources, & the country's under construction nuclear power plant is unaffected.
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) February 6, 2023
Updated
There were no reports of British fatalities in the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, said foreign secretary James Cleverly, acknowledging the relief effort was still at an early stage.
Speaking with reporters at the foreign office, Cleverly said:
With an earthquake of this magnitude, we sadly have already seen many thousands of people die. We don’t know the full extent of the injuries or fatalities and sadly they are likely to grow over the coming days.
At this stage we aren’t aware of any British fatalities but of course it’s far too early for us to say that won’t be the case.
‘There is nothing left’: earthquake adds to suffering in war-torn Syria
People living in north-west Syria are used to being woken up at night by collapsing buildings. Often, the destruction is accompanied by the sound of jets flying overhead as Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies drop bombs on schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure.
Caught between the Damascus regime and militant groups in control of the area, life for the estimated population of 4.5 million is already very hard: as well as airstrikes, in some places there is still episodic ground fighting, and 91% of the people here are dependent on aid to survive. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the region in the early hours of Monday, and the strong second shock hours later, will add to already intolerable suffering.
“At first I thought it was helicopters dropping barrel bombs. I woke up and went to grab my son,” said Ismail Alabdullah, 36, a volunteer with the White Helmets rescuers from the village of Sarmada.
“We are used to digging people out of the rubble but this is different. So many people are still stuck and they will die because we don’t have enough equipment to get to them all. There is nothing left, nothing at all.”
Read more here:
The former head of UN humanitarian affairs Mark Lowcock said the areas worst affected by the earthquake inside Syria look to be run by the Turkish-controlled opposition and not by the Syrian government.
Lowcock said it is going to require Turkish “acquiescence” to get aid into those areas, adding:
It is unlikely the Syrian government will do much to help. The building controls in terms of earthquakes will be pretty well non-existent inside Syria so it is likely the death toll will be very high in Syria, but the first Turkish priority will be its own citizens inside Turkey.
Updated
A UK team of search and rescue specialists is expected to arrive in Turkey by 11pm UK time, according to the Government.
Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon told peers:
A UK international search and rescue team will be deployed and will commence lifesaving activity within the critical 72 hours. They will depart via a charter flight from Birmingham at 1800 today and will arrive in Turkey by 2300 UK time tonight.
Explainer
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday is likely to be one of the deadliest this decade, seismologists said, with a more than 100 km (62 miles) rupture between the Anatolian and Arabian plates, according to Reuters.
When did the earthquake happen?
The magnitude 7.8 quake hit before sunrise in cold winter weather. It was the worst to strike Turkey this century. Its epicentre was close to the southern city of Gaziantep, and tremors were felt as far away as Cyprus, Cairo and Mosul.
Were there aftershocks?
The initial earthquake was followed by more than 100 aftershocks, including a magnitude 7.7 tremor during the day on Monday that interrupted search and rescue efforts.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed that the second large quake occurred 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km.
What is the international rescue response?
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said 45 countries had already offered help with search and rescue efforts. More than 10 search and rescue teams from the EU have been mobilised.
The International Rescue Committee called for increased funding for humanitarian aid in Syria, saying many people in the north-west had already been displaced up to 20 times, and that medical care in the region was “strained beyond capacity even before this tragedy”.
Read more here:
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires:
Newcastle are anxiously awaiting news of their former player Christian Atsu after reports that he has been trapped in the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The 31-year-old Ghana international winger, now playing for Turkish side Hatayspor, is reportedly missing along with the sporting director, Taner Savut, after club players and staff had been rescued from rubble, PA news reports according to multiple reports in Turkey.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-east Turkey and northern Syria during the early hours of Monday morning, followed by a second of 7.5. Approximately 1,700 people are known to have died in the border region.
Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20. 🙏🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/HQT6yZOmRB
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 6, 2023
The government of Cyprus has offered to send help to Turkey – a rare step from a country that Ankara refuses to officially acknowledge. In a statement issued by the island’s ministry of foreign affairs in Cyprus’ officially recognised Greek-populated south, the government expressed its “deep sadness for the numerous victims of the earthquakes.”
“We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims,” the statement said. “Natural disasters do not distinguish people and nationalities.
“We stand in solidarity with all those suffering and the families of the victims and we are ready to contribute to the humanitarian efforts of the international community.”
Greek Cypriot officials said they were willing to help rescue efforts in the devastated areas.
The 7.8-magnitude quake was felt across Cyprus, which lies around 40 miles of Turkey’s southern coast. Residents in Nicosia, the island’s divided capital, described how they were jolted awake when it struck at 3:17 AM.
A second earthquake at 12:24 PM local time, estimated at 7.5 on the Richter scale, had been “felt intensely across all of Cyprus,” the island’s geological survey department said.
Prior to that quake another measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale shook the coastal of Famagusta prompting panic-stricken locals to rush out of buildings at around 11:23 AM.
It was the second quake to rattle the Famagusta coastal region in as many days, a sign of the seismic activity across the East Mediterranean basin. Cyprus, which has been rattled by aftershocks throughout the day, has been divided between Greeks in the south and Turks in the north since 1974 when Ankara ordered the invasion of the island in response to a coup aimed at union with Greece.
Reuters reports Russian president Vladimir Putin offered condolences for earthquake victims in a phone call with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and pledged to send rescue teams and assistance.
The United States is already responding after directing USAID and other federal government partners on Sunday to assess response options for the most affected areas in Turkey and Syria.
On Monday, secretary of state Antony Blinken said:
Our initial assistance response to Türkiye is already underway, and U.S.-supported humanitarian organizations in Syria are responding to the earthquakes’ effects across the country. We are determined to do all that we can to help those affected by these earthquakes in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
A Syrian pro-government newspaper, Al-Watan, cited an official source denying its government requested Israeli assistance with earthquake relief, Reuters reports.
Israel on Monday said that it had received a Syrian request for assistance with earthquake relief and that it was prepared to oblige, in what would be rare cooperation between the enemy neighbours.
The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.
Footage of Gaziantep Castle, considered one of the best-preserved citadels in Turkey, showed parts of its stone walls had cascaded down the side of the fort.
Syria and Turkey are considered cradles of human civilisation and home to some of the world’s most precious relics of antiquity, boasting several Unesco world heritage sites, including the ancient city of Aleppo, already ravaged by the Syrian civil war.
International pledges of emergency aid have poured in for Turkey and Syria, leading to calls for the international community to relax some of the political restrictions on aid entering north-west Syria, the country’s last rebel-held enclave and one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake.
With the support of Russia at the UN, the government in Damascus allows aid to enter the region through only one border crossing. The Syrian Association for Citizens Dignity said all crossings must be opened on an emergency basis.
The crisis is likely to be a test of whether a divided international community riven by the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East can temporarily bury its differences in the interests of addressing a humanitarian emergency.
Read more of Patrick Wintour’s report here: Calls to ease Syrian border controls as offers of aid pour in after earthquake
Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has added his voice to international leaders offering condolences and assistance to Turkey and Syria. In a tweet, he said:
The reports and images from Turkey and Syria are devastating. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these major earthquakes, and our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. Canada stands ready to provide assistance.
The reports and images from Turkey and Syria are devastating. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these major earthquakes, and our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. Canada stands ready to provide assistance.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 6, 2023
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Al Jazeera reports that Turkey’s education ministry has announced that schools in the country will be shut until 13 February as a result of the quakes.
António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, has tweeted his condolences to those affected by the earthquakes, saying that the UN is ready to support emergency response efforts:
I am deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. The UN stands ready to support emergency response efforts.
I am deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye & Syria, and offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 6, 2023
The @UN stands ready to support emergency response efforts.
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Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Turkey, Syria and Poland.
Combined death toll in Turkey and Syria rises to at least 2,300
Associated Press report that the death toll from Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has now climbed to over 2,300 people.
At least 1,498 people were killed across 10 provinces of Turkey, with another 7,600 injured, according to the country’s disaster management agency.
The death toll in government-held areas of Syria rose to more than 430 people, with 1,280 injured, according to data from the health ministry. In the country’s north-west where the government is not in control, groups that operate there said the death toll was at least 380, with many hundreds injured.
The number is expected to continue to rise rapidly, with many people believed to be trapped under rubble in collapsed buildings.
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A building collapsed in Malatya, a large city in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, on Monday during rescue efforts after the country was hit by two earthquakes. A witness filmed the moment the building fell during an aftershock.
The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.
Photographs and footage of Gaziantep Castle, considered one of the best-preserved citadels in Turkey, showed parts of its stone walls had cascaded down the side of the fort.
Syria and Turkey are considered cradles of human civilisation and home to some of the world’s most precious relics of antiquity, boasting several Unesco world heritage sites, including the ancient city of Aleppo, already ravaged by the Syrian civil war.
Read more here: Fears for ancient sites after earthquake destroys parts of Gaziantep Castle
Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, reports on further international aid developments following Monday’s earthquakes:
The UK said it was sending 76 UK search & rescue specialists, four search dogs and rescue equipment to arrive on Monday evening. The UK is also sending an emergency medical team to assess the situation on the ground. Ministers added they were in contact with the UN on emergency humanitarian support to those affected in Syria.
Turkey’s neighbour Greece and other countries in the region have offered to send immediate assistance to help with the rescue effort. “Greece is mobilizing its resources and will assist immediately,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote in a tweet.
Egypt’s foreign ministry, in a statement early Monday, offered help to both Turkey and Syria. Residents in Cairo felt tremors from the quake.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France stood ready to provide emergency aid: “Our thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Macron tweeted.
In Germany, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) is preparing to deliver emergency generators, tents and blankets. Emergency shelters and water treatment systems could also be provided, the German interior minister Nancy Faeser said.
Sir Stephen O’Brien, the former UN humanitarian coordinator, said “Turkey has a sophisticated and experienced team of earthquake experts. That will not be the case in Syria, far from it”. But he added “in Syria it is a conflict zone and we have not got clarity as to about whether the UN through OCHA has consent to go into the country”.
He said in war torn Idlib, where the White Helmets is active, there is little help. “I very much hope there will be no objections to offer help. This is too big for any one country to handle. We have get good command and control on the ground to save lives.”
Israel has pledged to send aid to Turkey and to Syria, but has been quiet on how the request from Syria was delivered, or how it intends to deliver the help, since the two nations have no formal diplomatic ties.
Reuters reports that Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said in an unsourced report that Russia had relayed the request for Israel to assist Syria. The Russian embassy in Israel declined comment.
The aid that Israel will send comprises blankets, tents and medication, Kan said, adding that the Netanyahu government had also indicated willingness to take in casualties if asked.
Israeli officials did not immediately detail the aid.
Putin phones al-Assad directly to offer condolences
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad offered condolences for the victims of the earthquake that struck the country Monday, and pledged to send rescue teams and assistance, Rueters reports Syria’s presidency said.
More than 1,700 now confirmed dead in Turkey and Syria after two large earthquakes
Turkey has raised the official death toll from the earthquakes to 1,121, Reuters reports, citing the country’s emergency AFAD disaster agency, bringing the combined total in Turkey and Syria to over 1,700 confirmed dead.
Syria’s health ministry said earlier that more than 326 people had been killed and 1,042 injured.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) has put the death toll in the areas of north-west Syria that the government does not control at 255 killed and 811 injured.
The first quake struck as people slept overnight, and measured magnitude 7.8, one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century. It was felt as far away as Cyprus and Cairo. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş.
In 1999, a tremor of similar magnitude to today’s quakes in Turkey devastated Izmit killing more than 17,000. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip, Erdoğan has described it as the worst disaster for the country since 1939, when an earthquake killed more than 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.
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The drone footage below shows rescuers in the city of Adana searching through the rubble of a collapsed building in Turkey.
Footage from ANews shows the moment a second earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 7.7, hit Malatya in Turkey.
A TV crew with local search and rescue workers ran for safety as the tremors brought down a residential building. Locals could be seen emerging from clouds of dust.
The second earthquake occurred less than 12 hours after the first, affecting people in major cities across Turkey and Syria. The death toll is at least 1,500 people and there are thought to be many trapped under rubble.
UK to send aid to Turkey and northern Syria, announces Cleverly
The UK is the latest country to announce it will send assistance to Turkey as well as northern Syria after an earthquake has left more than 1,300 people dead, with the death toll expected to climb.
Britain will send 76 search and rescue specialists, four search dogs and rescue equipment that will arrive in Turkey this evening, the British foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.
The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, tweeted:
The UK is sending immediate support to Turkiye (Turkey) including a team of 76 search & rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs. In Syria, the UK-funded White Helmets have mobilised their resources to respond. We stand ready to provide further support as needed.
The UK is sending immediate support to Türkiye including a team of 76 search & rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) February 6, 2023
In Syria, the UK-funded White Helmets have mobilised their resources to respond.
We stand ready to provide further support as needed.
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Israel to send aid to Turkey and Syria, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel said on Monday that it had received a Syrian request for assistance with earthquake relief for the Arab state and that it was prepared to oblige, in what would be rare cooperation between the enemy neighbours.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech he had ordered Israeli aid sent to Turkey, the epicentre of Monday’s earthquake, Reuters reports.
Speaking at a ceremony in a hospital near Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said:
Since a request was also received to do this for many victims of the earthquake in Syria, I instructed to do this as well.
In later televised remarks to his party, Netanyahu said the request for humanitarian relief for Syria had been relayed “by a diplomatic official” - whom he did not identify.
Netanyahu said:
I approved this, and I reckon that these things will be carried out soon.
When asked who had made the request regarding Syria cited by Netanyahu, an Israeli official told Reuters: “The Syrians”. Asked if this referred to opposition members or to President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the official said only: “Syria”.
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World Vision said it was working rapidly to assess potential impacts to already displaced children and communities in the wake of the earthquake.
A World Vision staff member in northern Syria said:
While we were sleeping, the house started shaking; I immediately ran to my children; I did not know which one to carry; I could not reach the door, the distance was very far, and a minute of time was like years of helplessness and fear, and the fear continues with the aftershocks. Most of the people are on the streets in the snow and rain, with many destroyed buildings, many victims, and many still trapped under the rubble.
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At least 225 killed in north-west Syria with death toll expected to rise, says UN agency
At least 255 people were killed and 811 injured in north-west Syria as a result of the strong earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on Monday, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) told Reuters.
OCHA spokesperson Madevi Sun-Suon said the agency expected the casualty figures to increase as many people remained stuck under the rubble amid a response effort being hampered by tough weather conditions.
The agency had also recorded at least 170 buildings damaged in north-west Syria, the spokesperson said.
Syria, already grappling with a years-long humanitarian crisis, major economic woes and a cholera outbreak, was in a “perfect storm” in the wake of the deadly earthquake, according to Rick Brennan, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO).
Brennan told Reuters the death toll is expected to increase “significantly” and that rescue efforts are being hampered by aftershocks from the initial quake.
There’s been a lot of building collapses and it will increase more significantly around the epicentre of the earthquake.
Brennan said WHO was boosting its staff in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, the epicentre of the earthquake, and exploring its options to send emergency medical teams to the area.
It’s harder for the rescue teams to get in there to extract people…Buildings that may have sustained some damage but remain functional can then get another insult and they can collapse.
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US president, Joe Biden, directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess response options to the most affected areas in the Turkey and Syria earthquake, the president’s national security advisor said in a statement on Sunday.
The statement from Jake Sullivan added the US is “profoundly concerned” by reports of destruction in both countries.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz offered condolences to Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, saying Berlin stood ready to help, Reuters reports.
“Our thoughts are with the injured, to whom we wish a speedy and full recovery, and with those who have so unexpectedly lost family members,” Olaf said in a message.
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Summary
At least 1,500 people have been killed after two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria within the space of 12 hours. The death toll is expected to rise, with search and rescue operations under way across the region as many buildings have collapsed and there are thought to be many people trapped in the rubble.
Official figures from Turkey say 1,014 people were killed there, 5,383 were injured, and 2,818 buildings had collapsed. Syria’s health ministry said that more than 326 people had been killed and 1,042 injured. In addition to those figures, the White Helmets rescue service in the north-west of Syria in areas not controlled by the government put their death toll at 221, giving a total of 1,561 confirmed dead.
More than 10 search and rescue teams from the European Union have been mobilised in the wake of the earthquake that has hit Turkey, a spokesperson for the European Commission said. The US, UK, Israel, Russia and China are among other nations to have made public offers of assistance.
The first quake struck as people slept, and measured magnitude 7.8, one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century. It was felt as far away as Cyprus and Cairo. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km. There have been more than a 100 smaller aftershocks registered by seismologists.
The first quake had its epicentre near Gaziantep, and it has damaged the historic castle there which had been in use since Roman times.
Turkey’s armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected.
Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is under construction, was not damaged by the earthquake, an official from the Russian company building the plant said.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for increased funding for humanitarian aid in Syria, saying that many people in the north-west of the country have already been displaced up to 20 times, and that medical care in the region was “strained beyond capacity, even before this tragedy”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was concerned about areas in Turkey from which there had been no news following the earthquake.
In 1999, a tremor of similar magnitude to today’s quakes in Turkey devastated Izmit killing more than 17,000. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Monday as the worst disaster for the country since 1939, when an earthquake killed over 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.
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Turkey death toll rises by 102
Reuters has a quick snap that the official death toll in Turkey has risen by 102 to stand at 1,014 people killed.
More details soon …
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China is willing to provide humanitarian emergency aid to earthquake-struck Turkey and Syria, Reuters reports the state council’s foreign aid agency said on Monday.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has issued a statement following the quakes in Turkey and Syria, expressing concern particularly that initial reports from staff on the ground in Syria indicate that the impact has been devastating in areas that already host a high number of displaced and vulnerable families.
Tanya Evans, the Syria country director for IRC said:
This earthquake is yet another devastating blow to so many vulnerable populations already struggling after years of conflict. It is a crisis within multiple crises – temperatures are plummeting to below zero leaving thousands exposed. Women and children will find themselves particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse should they find themselves once again displaced. Many in northwest Syria have been displaced up to 20 times and with health facilities strained beyond capacity, even before this tragedy many did not have access to the health care they critically need.
Evans called on the international community to “urgently increase critical funding” for the Syria humanitarian response plan, which the IRC says is “already severely underfunded with less than 50% of the required $4bn” in place.
Here is the latest report on the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria from our video team.
Combined death toll from Turkey and Syria quakes passes 1,400
The combined death toll from the two large earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday has reached at least 1,400 people.
Official figures from Turkey say 912 people were killed there, 5,383 were injured, and 2,818 buildings had collapsed. Syria’s health ministry said that more than 326 people had been killed and 1,042 injured.
In addition to those figures, rescue services in the north-west of Syria in areas not controlled by the government put their death toll at 221, giving a total of 1,459 confirmed dead.
EU has mobilised more than 10 search and rescue teams to assist Turkey
More than 10 search and rescue teams from the EU have been mobilised in the wake of the major earthquake that has hit Turkey, a spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters on Monday.
“Urban Search and Rescue teams have been quickly mobilised from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania to support the first responders on the ground,” the European Commission said in a statement.
Italy, Spain and Slovakia have offered their rescue teams to Turkey as well.
Reuters reports the EU said it was also ready to support those affected in Syria, but said it had not yet received a request from the country to activate the EU’s civil protection mechanism, which coordinates assistance from EU and other European countries.
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In 1999, a tremor of similar magnitude to today’s quakes in Turkey devastated Izmit and the heavily populated eastern Marmara Sea region near Istanbul, killing more than 17,000. Turkey’s president Erdoğan has described today as the worst disaster for the country since 1939, when an earthquake killed over 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.
So far in the 21st century seven major earthquakes have claimed more than 20,000 victims each.
The January 2001 Gujarat earthquake in India and the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan both claimed just over 20,000 lives.
In Iran, the Bam earthquake which struck on 26 December 2003, had a death toll of just over 26,000.
Two major earthquakes in the mid-2000s both caused a death toll put at 87,000 – the October 2005 Kashmir quake affecting India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China.
The two deadliest quakes of the 21st century both killed over 200,000 people, although the death tolls for both are imprecise. The January 2010 Haiti earthquake devastated the island republic with the death toll put at 220,000.
But the most deadly natural disaster of the 21st century was the 26 December 2004 Indian ocean earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which took at least 225,000 lives, and which measured between 9.1-9.3, the third-largest earthquake ever recorded, with a duration between eight and ten minutes.
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Here are some more quotes via Reuters from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s press conference earlier. He confirmed that the death toll in Turkey had risen to 912, and described it as the nation’s worst disaster since 1939. He told reporters:
Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts, although the winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night make things more difficult.
We do not know how high the casualty numbers will go as efforts to lift the debris continue in several buildings in the earthquake zone.
Saying that 9,000 people were involved in the rescue mission, he said “Today is a day for 85 million to be together as one heart.”
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Dr Steven Godby, who is an expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University, has warned that the death toll from the earthquakes can be expected to rise significantly, and that the weather conditions will also impact on the chance of people surviving. He said:
Unfortunately the death toll is likely to climb quickly. A similar magnitude earthquake that hit Izmit in Turkey in 1999 killed more than 17,000 people and left more than a quarter of a million homeless. Early images show the pancake collapse of several buildings in the affected area and these are associated with significant loss of life – typically 30% of those in these kinds of collapse lose their lives.
The earthquake struck early in the morning when people will have been asleep at home and the weather is very cold meaning those trapped in rubble face the threat from low temperatures. The first 24-48 hours is when most people are normally rescued in this situations, but the cold weather may reduce that time. The challenge is further compounded by the fact that there are already large numbers of displaced people in northern Syria as a result of the civil war.
The BBC’s Turkish language service is carrying some criticism of the rescue efforts in parts of Turkey. It quotes Suzan Şahin, from the opposition Republican People’s party saying:
I am in the Iskenderun region. The district is in a grave condition. More than 30 of our buildings were destroyed. The old SSK hospital was destroyed. We are in a very bad situation.
The main thing is this. It has been so many hours. The rescue work has not started yet. There is no AFAD [the disaster and emergency agency], no government officials. The bodies almost cannot be transported to the hospitals. Materials such as tents and blankets could not be distributed. Our people are dead. No one came from 4am to 1pm.
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The White Helmets rescue service has now put the death toll in north-west Syria where it operates at more than 221, with at least 419 people injured, according to a post on Twitter.
The service stated there is “difficulty” in the rescue efforts as “hundreds remain trapped under rubble” and “heavy equipment” is needed. It said the number of dead and injured is expected to rise as hundreds of families are still trapped.
The tweet included graphic images of the scene including dead bodies wrapped in sheets.
Second large earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria less than 12 hours after first
Turkey reports that a second massive earthquake in less than 12 hours has hit the south-east of the country. State media in Syria have also said that Damascus was affected by the latest large quake, although details remain scant.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said that preliminary data showed the quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority stated that it was slightly smaller at 7.6 magnitude and at a greater depth.
The combined official death toll from the first quake in Turkey and Syria had already risen to over 1,200, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing it as the country’s largest disaster since 1939. He said that 912 people had been killed, with 5,383 wounded.
Syria’s state news agency reported more than 320 dead in the country, with over 1,000 wounded. The White Helmets rescue service has also reported that 147 people had died and more than 340 were injured in Syria in areas where it operates.
The first quake struck as people slept, and measured 7.8, one of the most powerful quakes in the region in at least a century. Search and rescue operations have been hampered by poor weather. Turkey’s president said that over 45 nations had so far offered assistance.
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There are reports that a large aftershock has occurred in the region. Reuters reports that state media in Syria has said Damascus has been struck by an earthquake. Syria’s capital is significantly further south from the area around Aleppo that was initially affected by the earthquake overnight. Other reports say that mild tremors were felt in Dohuk, Erbil and Mosul in Iraq, while some observers on social media have noted that it has been felt across Turkey including in Ankara.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre has tweeted that it detected a 7.7 quake twenty minutes ago, although it cautions this is preliminary data.
I know it is difficult to follow, but last night M7.8 earthquake in Turkey has just been followed by a M7.7 (preliminary) 20 min ago. It will add to the damage and further complexify the response. Our thoughts are with all the affected people and their loved ones 🙏
— EMSC (@LastQuake) February 6, 2023
More details soon …
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the earthquake that struck in the early hours was the country’s largest disaster since 1939, adding that 2,818 buildings had collapsed as a result, Reuters reports.
The 1939 Erzincan earthquake that Erdoğan referenced is believed to have killed 33,000 people. The 7.6 magnitude İzmit earthquake in 1999 is thought to have killed more than 17,000 people.
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In the wake of the 7.8 magnitude quake, another quake measuring 4.6 magnitudehas also shaken Cyprus. The aftershock, whose epicentre was 75km southeast of Famagusta, hit at 11.23 am local time, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
The new quake follows what the eastern Mediterranean island’s geological survey department described as a series of “small tsunamis” off the Famagusta coast triggered by Monday’s massive quake earlier. Christodoulos Hadjigeorgiou, who directs the geological survey department, said the effect of the tsunamis could have been catastrophic had an underwater landslide been provoked.
Speaking to the island’s public broadcaster, CYBC, Hadjigeorgiou said the geological survey department was monitoring the situation closely. He said the first quake struck the Turkish-Syrian Gaziantep border area at 3:17 am followed by a second quake at 3.28 am measuring 6.7. Six aftershocks of over 5 magnitude followed.
Monday’s devastating quake came hours after a 3.6 earthquake shook Cyprus on Sunday. That quake’s epicentre was located 25km north east of the coast of Paralimni.
In breakaway Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus a crisis centre has been set up with the aim of assisting mainland Turkish authorities.
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Combined death toll in Turkey and Syria earthquake stands at over 1,200
The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria from the overnight 7.8-magnitude quake has risen officially to over 1,200, according to figures from the authorities.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said that 912 people had been killed in Turkey, with 5,383 wounded. He said authorities were unable to predict how high the toll might rise as search and rescue operations continued, Reuters report. He said 45 countries had so far offered assistance.
Syria’s state news agency reported more than 320 dead in the country, with over 1,000 wounded. The White Helmets rescue service has also reported that 147 people had died and more than 340 were injured in Syria in areas where it operates, which are unlikely to have been included in the official state figures.
Hundreds are still believed to be trapped under rubble. The epicentre of the quake was near the city of Gaziantep in Turkey, and it was felt as far away as Cyprus.
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The earthquake has damaged Gaziantep castle, a historic landmark in southern Turkey that was first built in the second and third centuries. Here are some images of the building, which was in use during Roman times, and now serves as a museum.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was concerned about areas in Turkey from which there had been no news following the deadly overnight earthquake.
“National authorities will be focussing on search and rescue at the moment,” a WHO spokesperson told Reuters in a statement. “Then we will expect an increased need for trauma care to treat the injured and to support the entire health system in affected areas.”
Reuters has produced a roundup of some of the detailed offers of assistance that have been made to Turkey and Syria so far today, which include:
India’s government said two teams from India’s disaster response force comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and equipment were ready to be flown to the disaster area. Medical teams were being readied and relief material was being sent in coordination with the Turkish authorities.
Poland will send a rescue group consisting of 76 firemen and eight dogs.
The European Union said it had activated its emergency Copernicus satellite mapping service to help first responders working on the ground.
Russia’s emergencies ministry said it had two IL-76 aircraft with 100 rescuers were ready to fly out to Turkey if required.
Urban rescue teams from Spain are preparing to travel to Turkey, the interior ministry said.
Taiwan’s fire department said it had a team of 130 people, along with five search dogs and 13 tonnes of aid, ready to go to Turkey, and was awaiting a response.
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The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has issued the following statement about the earthquake affecting Turkey and Syria which has led to a significant loss of life. He said:
On behalf of all citizens of Israel, I send condolences to the citizens of Turkey at this difficult time for them following the earthquake that struck our region. At the request of the Turkish government, I have instructed all authorities to make immediate preparations to provide medical, and search and rescue assistance. The Foreign and Defence ministers have already been in contact with their counterparts and we will – in the coming hours – agree on the dispatching of a delegation as soon as possible.
President Isaac Herzog added to the message coming out of Israel, saying:
On behalf of the Israeli people, I am deeply saddened by the enormous disaster that has befallen Turkey following last night’s earthquake. My condolences to President Erdoğan and the Turkish people for the loss of life and destruction of livelihoods. The state of Israel always stands ready to assist in every way possible. Our hearts are with the grieving families and the Turkish people at this painful moment.
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In their Turkish language coverage, the BBC is quoting Dr Haluk Özener, director at the Kandilli observatory and earthquake research institute. He has said:
We are facing the biggest earthquake we have seen in 24 years in this region. So far, 100 aftershocks have occurred. About 53 of them are over 4 [on the scale]. Seven of them became over 5. We can say that these earthquakes will continue in the coming days.
Updated
Earlier, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, tweeted his concern for Turkey after the earthquake, saying: “India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy.”
Anguished by the loss of lives and damage of property due to the Earthquake in Turkey. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy. https://t.co/vYYJWiEjDQ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2023
In the last few moments he has extended a similar message to Syria, saying that he was “deeply pained to learn that the devastating earthquake has also affected Syria”.
Deeply pained to learn that the devastating earthquake has also affected Syria. My sincere condolences to the families of the victims. We share the grief of Syrian people and remain committed to provide assistance and support in this difficult time.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2023
Updated
Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is currently under construction, was not damaged by the earthquake, Reuters reports an official from the Russian company building the plant as saying.
“Earth tremors of about magnitude 3 were felt here … but our specialists have not revealed any damage to building structures, cranes and equipment,” said Anastasia Zoteeva from Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images sent over the news wires of the aftermath of the earthquake, as search and rescue missions continue across the region affected.
Helena Smith reports for the Guardian from Athens:
Over in Greece where the 7.8 magnitude quake’s tremors were also felt, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has instructed specialised teamsto be deployed to assist rescue efforts. A 25-strong EMAK rescue unit is believed to be on its way to southern Turkey with other assistance to follow.
In a tweet Mitsotakis expressed the “heartfelt condolences” of Greeks for the families of the hundreds whose lives have been lost so far.
“[We are] deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake disaster … Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims and our thoughts are with all the people affected. Greece is mobilizing its resources and will assist immediately,” he wrote.
The country’s head of state president, Katerina Sakelloropoulou, also voiced sympathy and support tweeting that the Greek people “stand in solidarity” with both countries.
“Overwhelmed by the images of destruction caused by earthquake in Turkey and Syria. On behalf of the Greek people and myself, I express my condolences to the families of the victims. We stand in solidarity, support the work of the rescue teams, and wish speedy recovery to the injured.
The earthquake struck at a time of particularly strained relations between Greece and Turkey. In December, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, threatened to strike Athens with short-range ballistic missile unless “you stay calm.”
“Greece is afraid of our missiles. They say that the TAYFUN missile will hit Athens, it will, unless you stay calm,” the leader told supporters.
Indicative of the state of relations, anti-Erdogan graffiti has appeared in the upmarket neighbourhood of Kolonaki in Athens, not far from the home of the Greek prime minister.
Updated
Reuters has a video clip of a small child being rescued from rubble in Syria.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
Rescue workers saved an injured child from the rubble of collapsed buildings after a major earthquake hit Syria, killing dozens and injuring hundreds https://t.co/d3s6tUGIrM pic.twitter.com/iky9r0smB7
Another video that has emerged shows a building collapsing in Şanliurfa in Turkey as a result of aftershocks following the earlier quake.
Updated
Turkish armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected by the major earthquake in southern Turkey, the country’s defence ministry said on Monday.
“We mobilised our planes to send medical teams, search and rescue teams and their vehicles to the earthquake zone,” Reuters report the statement cited defence minister Hulusi Akar as saying.
Death toll rises in rebel-held areas in Syria, White Helmets say
The White Helmets rescue team said on Twitter that 147 people had died and more than 340 were injured in Syria in areas where it operates, Reuters reports. “The toll may increase as many families are still trapped,” it wrote. “Our teams are on the ground searching for survivors and removing the dead from the rubble.”
Updated
Combined death toll in Turkey and Syria rises to more than 650 dead
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early on Monday morning has killed at least 641 people, with the number expected to rise further. Hundreds of people are still believed to be trapped under rubble as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage in cities and towns across the area.
Associated Press report that Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said at least 284 people were killed in seven Turkish provinces. The agency said 440 people were injured.
The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed to 245 with more than 630 injured, according to Syrian state media. At least 147 people were killed in rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.
Buildings were reported collapsed in a cross-border swath extending from Syria’s cities of Aleppo and Hama to Turkey’s Diyarbakir, more than 330km (200 miles) to the north-east.
Nearly 900 buildings were destroyed in Turkey’s Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces, said vice-president Fuat Otkay. A hospital collapsed in the Mediterranean coastal city of Iskanderoun, but casualties were not immediately known, he said.
“Unfortunately, at the same time, we are also struggling with extremely severe weather conditions,” Oktay told reporters.
Updated
The official death toll in Syria is most likely to only include people who have been affected by the earthquake in government-held areas. UOSSM, which provides emergency medical relief and healthcare services to Syrian people affected by the civil war there, has made an urgent appeal for assistance this morning.
In a statement, Dr Khaula Sawah, the president of UOSSM in the US, said:
The news we are seeing is terrifying and heartbreaking. We know building infrastructures in Syria have already been compromised from years of bombing campaigns. We need urgent aid immediately so we can help save lives of those injured in this massive earthquake. Our staff is working tirelessly but are overwhelmed with the numbers of casualties. We need urgent support immediately. Countless lives are at stake.
Updated
The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has repeated the earlier message from the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, that the UK is ready to offer assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake that has killed over 500 people in Turkey and Syria. He tweeted:
My thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valiantly to save those trapped by the earthquake. The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can.
My thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valiantly to save those trapped by the earthquake.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 6, 2023
The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can.
Updated
In Turkey, people trying to leave the quake-stricken regions caused traffic jams, hampering efforts of emergency teams trying to reach the affected areas. Associated Press reports that authorities urged residents not to take to the roads and that mosques around the region were being opened up as shelters for people unable to return to damaged homes amid temperatures that hovered around freezing.
In Diyarbakir, hundreds of rescue workers and civilians formed lines across a mountain of wreckage, passing down broken concrete pieces, household belongings and other debris as they searched for trapped survivors while excavators dug through the rubble below. Survivors were strapped to stretchers and carefully handed down to a street where they were put in an ambulance.
In the Turkish city of Adana, one resident said three buildings near his home collapsed. “I don’t have the strength any more,” one survivor could be heard calling out from beneath the rubble as rescue workers tried to reach him, said the resident, journalism student Muhammet Fatih Yavus.
On the Syrian side of the border, the quake smashed opposition-held regions that are packed with some 4 million people displaced from other parts of Syria by the country’s long civil war. Many of them live in buildings that are already wrecked from past bombardment. Hundreds of families remained trapped in rubble, the emergency organisation called the White Helmets, said in a statement. Strained health facilities and hospitals were quickly filled with wounded, rescue workers said.
Updated
Operations at Turkey’s oil terminal in Ceyhan have been halted, the Tribeca shipping agency said, adding that an emergency meeting will take place on the issue.
Reuters reports that in a notice, Tribeca said ports in southeastern Turkey are affected by the quake and that delays in operations are reported.
Turkey’s pipeline operator BOTAS said there were no damages on main pipelines.
The White House has issued a statement saying that President Joe Biden has instructed the federal government to prepare US assistance. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said:
The US is profoundly concerned by the reports of today’s destructive earthquake in Turkey and Syria. We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance. President Biden has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess US response options to help those most affected. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the government of Turkey.
The statement omits any reference to the US working directly with the government of Syria. The US currently has a wide range of economic sanctions imposed on Syria and the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
Updated
As Europe’s politicians are waking up to the news that is emerging from Turkey and Syria offers of assistance continue to be made. Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has offered his condolences and help from his country, tweeting:
Saddened about the loss of lives in Türkiye and Syria following the major earthquake. Our thoughts go to the victims and their loved ones. I have sent my deepest condolences to Tayyip Erdoğan. As partner of Turkey and holder of the EU presidency, we stand ready to offer our support.
Relations between Turkey and Sweden have recently been strained, with Turkey refusing so far to ratify Sweden’s attempt to join Nato.
The British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has also said that his country stands by ready to help, tweeting:
Tragic loss of life in the Turkey and Syria earthquake. Our condolences go to the families of those who died and our thoughts are with the survivors. The UK stands ready to provide assistance.
A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and north-west Syria early on Monday morning, killing more than 500 people and injuring hundreds as buildings collapsed across the region, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble.
Turkey’s vice-president, Fuat Oktay, said 284 people had been killed and 2,323 people were injured, as authorities scrambled rescue teams and supply aircraft to the affected area, while declaring a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance.
In Syria, already devastated by more than 11 years of civil war, a government health official said more than 237 people had been killed and about 600 injured, most in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, where numerous buildings tumbled down.
Reuters reports President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by telephone with the governors of eight affected provinces to gather information on the situation and rescue efforts, his office said in a statement.
Updated
Here are some more of the latest images to come through from Turkey.
Ruth Michaelson reports for the Guardian:
In the southern Turkish town of Gaziantep, about 150 miles from the border with Syria and 50 miles from the epicentre of the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, residents felt aftershocks hours later.
“We woke up with a jolt, as the electricity was off. We laid still and waited for the shaking to finish. Our house was full of broken glass,” said tradesman Sinan Şahan in Gaziantep. “We used our phone’s flashlight so we could see to get dressed, and hurried out of the house. Anyone able to save themselves has now fled somewhere. I have relatives in Kahramanmaraş, their houses were destroyed. I have seen ambulances going from Antep center to the south side of Maraş since this morning.”
He added: “I was in Istanbul when the big earthquake hit in 1999, this was more severe than that.” He broke off as another aftershock hit.
Images from Gaziantep broadcast by Turkish outlet Milliyet showed how the quake caused the collapse of Gaziantep’s historic castle, an ancient and imposing stone structure atop a hill used as an observation point during Roman times.
Turkey’s disaster management agency, the AFAD, said that at least 66 aftershocks had occurred after the quake shortly before 9am local time.
Updated
Russia’s defence ministry said that its military facilities had not been damaged by the major earthquake that struck central Turkey and northwest Syria, Reuters reports.
Russia, which is closely allied with the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, maintains a significant military presence in the country.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s most senior diplomat, has tweeted that the 27 country bloc is ready to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, which has killed hundreds. Borrell writes:
Devastating earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria this morning, claiming the lives of hundreds of people and injuring many more. Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria. The EU is ready to help.
Devastating earthquake rocked Türkiye and Syria this morning, claiming the lives of hundreds of people and injuring many more.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 6, 2023
Our thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria. The EU is ready to help.
Official death toll in Turkey rises to 284, with over 2,000 people injured
The death toll has risen to 284 from an earthquake which shook Turkey’s south early on Monday, with 2,323 people injured, vice president Fuat Oktay told a news conference.
Reuters report he said 70 people were killed in the province of Kahramanmaraş, where the quake epicentre was located, along with 20 people in Osmaniye, 18 in Şanlıurfa, 14 in Diyarbakir and 13 in Adiyaman.
With over 230 killed in Syria, the death toll from the earthquake has now risen above 500.
Updated
Rescue efforts continue across the region, with images being sent over the news wires of children and adults being pulled from the wreckage of buildings in Syria and Turkey.
Reuters has a quick snap that Turkey’s vice president has announced that flights are suspended from Hatay airport due to damage from the earthquake. The airport is in Turkey’s south, close to the border with Syria and near the city of Aleppo.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London.
Italian authorities have withdrawn a tsunami warning for the country’s southern coast.
The alert was raised shortly after the earthquake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria. Italy’s Civil Protection Department had recommended people in the coastal areas move to high ground.
Summary
If you are just joining us, here is everything we know so far about the massive quake that hit Turkey overnight, bringing down buildings across the border in Syria too:
More than 300 people have been killed and 1000 injured in Turkey and Syria after a strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-eastern Turkey on Monday.
The quake hit at 4:17am local time (01:17 GMT) and was felt in Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
The quake was centred about 32km (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital in the country’s south-east, and about 26km (16 miles) from the town of Nurdağı.
It was 17.7km (11 miles) deep, according to the US Geological Survey. A strong 6.7 temblor rumbled about 10 minutes later.
The number of casualties was emerging as the search for survivors continued early on Monday. At least 76 were dead in Turkey after the quake, Turkish officials said, according to AFP. Officials said 23 people died in the province of Malatya, 17 in Urfa, seven in Osmaniye, and six in Diyarbakir, although the toll threatened to climb much higher because of the heavy damage.
There were also reports of deaths in Syria. At least 245 people were killed across Aleppo, Hama and Lattakia and 516 were injured, according to the Syrian health ministry.
A source at a hospital in north Syria told AFP at least eight people had died “in the regions of Azaz and al-Bab”, adding that the number was likely to rise as search and rescue operations were ongoing.
Turkish interior minister Süleyman Soylu said 10 cities had been affected by the quake. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the official said the cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis had all suffered damage.
Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said the earthquake was felt most intensely in the surrounding provinces of Kahramanmaraş, but was also strongly felt in Hatay, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa.
Members of the Syrian civil defence operating in rebel-held areas are claiming “tens of victims and people stuck under rubble” after the quake. The civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said in a post on Twitter that the volunteer group was working to rescue survivors.
There were reports of tremors felt in Lebanon, Greece, Syria, Israel and Cyprus.
Videos posted on social networks showed destroyed buildings in several cities in the south-east of the country.
Updated
Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has chaired an emergency meeting of the nation’s council of ministers to assess the damage of the earthquake, according to a Facebook post by Syria’s health ministry.
It said in another post that medical professionals are being sent to affected regions.
Ukraine ready to provide help following earthquake: Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said his country was ready to provide necessary assistance to “friendly” Turkish people in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the country earlier on Monday, Reuters reports.
Zelenskiy said on Twitter:
Shocked by the news about the death and injury of hundreds of people as a result of the earthquake in Turkey.
We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. We are in this moment close to the friendly Turkish people, ready to provide the necessary assistance.
Cumhurbaşkanı @RTErdogan'a, 🇹🇷 halkına ve 🇹🇷'deki depremde hayatını kaybedenlerin ailelerine başsağlığı dileklerimi iletiyor tüm yaralılara acil şifalar diliyorum. Bu zor zamanda 🇹🇷 halkının yanındayız. Afetin sonuçlarının üstesinden gelmek için gerekli yardımı sağlamaya hazırız.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 6, 2023
Updated
Key event
More than 300 dead in Turkey and Syria
The toll from the earthquake in Syria has risen to more than 230 dead, and 600 wounded, a senior health official has told state media.
In neighbouring Turkey, where the earthquake was centred, the nation’s disaster management agency AFAD said on Monday that 76 people had been killed and 440 injured.
Updated
Nearly 1000 search and rescue volunteers are being deployed from Istanbul to the affected earthquake regions in Turkey, according to the Governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya said.
This comes after Turkey’s disaster management agency called for international support to expand its search and rescue effort.
Deprem hemen sonra AFAD'dayız.
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) February 6, 2023
#İstanbul'dan #deprem bölgesine İLK ETAPTA 80 AFAD görevlisi, 27 akredite belediye ve STK, 968 Arama Kurtarma gönüllüsü, 4 K9 köpeği, 2 TIR ve yardım malzemesi yola çıktı.
Başımız sağ olsun.
Yaralılarımıza acil şifalar diliyorum.#Kahramanmaraş pic.twitter.com/ub2dGjpNub
Across affected regions of Turkey and Syria, rescue efforts are underway:
Turkey: deadly earthquake strikes near Syrian border – video
Footage capturing the frantic rescue efforts underway following the 7.8 magnitude tremor in southern Turkey and northern Syria, which has caused widespread destruction and trapped people under rubble.
Destruction strikes at night as huge earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria – in pictures
Our picture editors have gathered some of the images emerging from Turkey and Syria that capture the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake.
The White Helmets declare state of emergency in northeastern Syria
The White Helmets has put out a statement declaring a state of emergency in northwestern Syria following the earthquake.
The statement said:
The earthquake has resulted in hundreds of injuries, dozens of deaths, and people being stranded in the winter cold. Adverse weather conditions, including low temperatures and stormy weather have, have compounded the dire situation.
The group is appealing to international humanitarian organisations to intervene promptly and support the affected populations with aid.
Northwestern Syria In State of Emergency After Catastrophic #Earthquake
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 6, 2023
We urge the international community to take emergency measures to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, and to support the rescue of civilians in #Syria.
Read more: https://t.co/Rf4G7biw1l pic.twitter.com/JxblyM8w1A
‘Two of my friends are under the rubble now, we are trying to reach them’, Pazarcık resident says
In Turkey’s Pazarcık, residents said they feared for those trapped under fallen buildings.
Nihat Altundağ said the powerful shocks from the earthquake woke his family:
Our house looks solid from the outside but there are cracks inside. There are destroyed buildings around me, there are houses on fire. There are buildings that are cracking. A building collapsed just 200 meters away from where I am now. Thank God, our friends are safe, but we heard there are people who can’t get out of their homes and there are people we can’t reach.
We are waiting for the sun to rise so that we can see the scale of the earthquake. People are all outside, all in fear.
“Pazarcik is in ruins,” said resident Hüseyin Satı.
The building where I live is not so tall, and was built in compliance with earthquake regulations, so it didn’t collapse. But still there are cracks on the walls. A neighbour of mine broke his back while jumping from the balcony during the earthquake and is now in hospital.
Satı said that civilians were frantically trying to help dig their neighbours out from under collapsed buildings. He said:
Two of my friends are under the rubble now, we are trying to reach them.
Meanwhile in Turkey’s Gaziantep, resident Erdam told Reuters he has never felt an earthquake of such magnitude.
We were shaken at least three times very strongly, like a baby in a crib.
Everybody is sitting in their cars or trying to drive to open spaces away from buildings.
I imagine not a single person in Gaziantep is in their homes now.
At least 111 killed in Syria: health ministry
At least 111 people were killed across Aleppo, Hama and Lattakia and 516 were injured, according to the Syrian health ministry.
The situation is very tragic, tens of buildings have collapsed in the city of Salqin,” a member of the White Helmets rescue organisation said in a video clip on Twitter, referring to a town about 5 km (3 miles) from the Turkish border.
The rescuer on the clip, which showed a rubble-strewn street, said homes were “totally destroyed”.
Many buildings in the region had already suffered damage in fighting during Syria’s nearly 12-year-long civil war.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reportedly met with the governors of Adana, Malatya, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Hatay, Adıyaman, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa to discuss the situation after the earthquake, according to state media reports.
Erdoğan, who will be under pressure to oversee an effective response to the disaster heading to a tightly-contested 14 May election, conveyed his sympathies and urged national unity.
“We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage,” the Turkish leader tweeted.
Updated
Residents flee homes in terror
On the streets in towns and cities across southeast Turkey and Syria, people have fled their homes to take shelter in cars, fearing aftershocks and more collapsed buildings.
Rescue workers and residents are still frantically searching for survivors under the rubble of crushed buildings in multiple cities on both sides of the border.
In one quake-struck Turkish city, dozens pulled away chunks of concrete and twisted metal. People on the street shouted up to others inside a partially toppled apartment building, leaning dangerously.
Residents in the town of Pazarcık said they feared for those trapped under fallen buildings. Nihat Altundağ said the powerful shocks from the earthquake woke his family.
Our house looks solid from the outside but there are cracks inside. There are destroyed buildings around me, there are houses on fire. There are buildings that are cracking. A building collapsed just 200 meters away from where I am now. Thank god, our friends are safe, but we heard there are people who can’t get out of their homes and there are people we can’t reach…
We are waiting for the sun to rise so that we can see the scale of the earthquake. People are all outside, all in fear.”
State media showed frantic people across southern Turkey crowding into streets, amid warning from domestic emergency services that people could still be trapped underneath collapsed buildings.
We are getting more images showing attempts to rescue people from under collapsed buildings:
US President Joe Biden has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess response options to the most affected areas in the Turkey and Syria earthquake, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Sunday.
Sullivan also tweeted:
The US is profoundly concerned by today’s destructive earthquake in Turkey and Syria. I have been in touch with Turkish officials to relay that we stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkey.”
The U.S. is profoundly concerned by today’s destructive earthquake in Turkiye & Syria. I have been in touch with Turkish officials to relay that we stand ready to provide any & all needed assistance. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye.
— Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) February 6, 2023
Authorities in Italy have warned of a potential tsunami risk on the country’s coast.
Officials called on citizens in coastal areas to move to higher areas and wait for more information from local authorities.
The European-Mediterranean seismological centre’s monitoring service told Reuters it was assessing the risk of a tsunami.
A statement released this morning read:
Based on the data processed by the Ingv Tsunami Alert Center (CAT), the Civil Protection Department has issued an alert for possible tsunami waves arriving on the Italian coast following the earthquake of magnitude 7.9 with its epicenter between Turkey and Syria at 02.17.
It is recommended to move away from the coastal areas, to reach the higher nearby area and to follow the indications of the local authorities.”
🔴 ALLERTA POSSIBILE #MAREMOTO SULLE COSTE ITALIANE in seguito all'evento sismico in #Turchia. Si raccomanda di allontanarsi dalla costa e di seguire le indicazioni delle autorità locali
— Dipartimento Protezione Civile (@DPCgov) February 6, 2023
[Aggiornamento #6febbraio ore 3:15] https://t.co/N6XMaK9TQz
More than 100 dead in Turkey and Syria
It’s just past 8am in Gaziantep, Turkey, as we receive more information on the total number of deaths cause by a powerful earthquake this morning.
Turkey’s disaster management agency AFAD said on Monday that 76 people had been killed and 440 injured in the massive earthquake that reverberated through several provinces in the south of the country.
“76 of our citizens lost their lives in Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, and 440 citizens were injured in Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis,” AFAD said.
At least 50 people have died in neighbouring Syria.
Forty-two people were killed in government-controlled parts of the country, state media said, while a local hospital told AFP that eight others were killed in northern areas controlled by pro-Turkish factions.
“Forty-two deaths and 200 injuries have been reported in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia as a result of the earthquake in a preliminary toll,” state news agency Sana said quoting a health ministry official.
Rescuers are continuing the search the rubble of collapsed buildings as the death toll is expected to rise.
Updated
A total of 42 aftershocks have been felt in the two hours since the quake first struck at 4.17 am local time, according to Turkey’s ministry of interior disaster and emergency management.
The ministry issued a statement, saying:
As of 6:30am, a total of 42 aftershocks, the largest of which was 6.6, were experienced.”
Kahramanmaraş ilimizin Pazarcık ilçesinde meydana gelen 7,4 büyüklüğündeki #deprem sonrasında; saat 06.30 itibarıyla en büyüğü 6,6 olmak üzere toplam 42 artçı sarsıntı yaşanmıştır.
— AFAD (@AFADBaskanlik) February 6, 2023
76 killed and 440 injured: Turkey’s disaster agency
As the death toll continues to climb, the latest figures released by Turkey’s disaster agency (AFAD) say 76 people have so far been killed while another 440 have been injured.
76 of our citizens lost their lives in Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, and 440 citizens were injured in Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis,” AFAD said.
AFAD, merkezi Kahramanmaraş'ın Pazarcık ilçesi olan 7,4 büyüklüğündeki depremde saat 06.30 itibarıyla 7 ilde 76 kişinin yaşamını yitirdiğini, 440 kişinin yaralandığını açıkladı. pic.twitter.com/QKc6cgJYe5
— ANADOLU AJANSI (@anadoluajansi) February 6, 2023
Updated
It’s almost 8am in Turkey, and the morning light has brought scenes of chaos.
A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing dozens, levelling buildings and sending tremors that were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus.
At least 10 cities across Turkey have been badly affected, including Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis, according to Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency.
South across the border in Syria, Aleppo, Hama and Latakia have also been hard hit as a result of the earthquake.
The situation in northern Syria appears to be particularly dire, according to local authorities.
Major damage has so far been reported deep into the region on the Syrian side of the border, an area that includes millions of people already internally displaced by war in areas with fragile infrastructure.
At least 11 were killed in one town, Atmed, and many more were buried in the rubble, a doctor in the town, Muheeb Qaddour, told The Associated Press by telephone.
We fear that the deaths are in the hundreds,” Qaddour said, referring to the rebel-held northwest. “We are under extreme pressure.”
Scores dead in Turkey and Syria
Several hours after the earthquake as rescue teams rush to find people affected, the scale of destruction is slowly beginning to take shape.
Local officials in Turkey put the initial death toll at 53, although it threatened to climb substantially higher because it caught most people while they were still at home asleep and many may still be trapped under fallen buildings.
Early statements by officials suggested the death toll was at least 23 in Turkey’s Malatya province, 17 in Sanliurfa, six in Diyarbakir and five more in Osmaniye.
South across the border in Syria, state media said 42 had been killed and 200 injured in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia as a result of the earthquake “in a preliminary toll,” state news agency Sana said quoting a health ministry official.
The earthquake has levelled dozens of buildings across major cities of southern Turkey as well as Syria with tremors felt as far away as Ankara and the island of Cyprus.
Updated
23 killed and 420 injured in Malatya: governor
We are receiving some more information from Malatya, a city in eastern Turkey hit by today’s earthquake.
According to the regional governor, and as cited by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, 23 people have been killed in the city, another 420 injured and 140 buildings collapsed.
Images from inside Syria show fallen buildings and rescue attempts:
Members of the Syrian civil defence operating in rebel-held areas are claiming “tens of victims and people stuck under rubble” in northern Syria on Monday.
The civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said in a post on Twitter that the volunteer group was working to rescue survivors.
Dozens of victims and trapped under the rubble as a result of the earthquakes that struck northwest Syria at dawn today.”
عشرات الضحايا والعالقين تحت الأنقاض جراء الزلازل الذي ضرب شمال غربي #سوريا فجر اليوم الاثنين 6 شباط.
— الدفاع المدني السوري (@SyriaCivilDefe) February 6, 2023
فرقنا تعلن حالة الطوارئ لإنقاذ العالقين.#الخوذ_البيضاء pic.twitter.com/RQUtAR7hkh
At least eight dead in north Syria: hospital reports
At least eight people have died in north Syria, according to a hospital in the region.
“Eight people have died in the regions of Azaz and al-Bab,” a source at a local hospital told Agence France-Presse, adding that the number is likely to rise as search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Major damage has been reported deep into northern Syria, an area that includes millions of people already internally displaced by war in areas with fragile infrastructure.
مشاهد أولية لعمليات الاجلاء والإسعاف للمدنيين جراء الزلزال شمال غربي #سوريا اليوم الاثنين 6 شباط.
— الدفاع المدني السوري (@SyriaCivilDefe) February 6, 2023
الفيديو من منطقة راجو شمالي #حلب#الخوذ_البيضاء pic.twitter.com/kS3Q6a0NpJ
Members of the Syrian civil defence, a search and rescue service known as the White Helmets, shared video from the town of Salqin in the northern province of Idlib close to the border with Turkey, saying they had begun work to rescue people trapped under collapsed buildings.
Disastrous conditions, collapses in residential buildings and some victims trapped under the rubble as a result of the earthquake that struck northwest Syria today. Our teams are on the highest levels of alert to respond and rescue those trapped,” they said.
15 killed, 30 injured in Sanliurfa province: governor
We are receiving some more information from Sanliurfa, the Turkish province east of Gaziantep where the quake’s epicentre was located.
Governor Salih Ayhan reported that at least 15 people were killed and another 30 injured in the province in an interview with Turkish broadcaster CNN Turk.
More images of fallen buildings and wreckage are coming in, as dawn is breaking:
Turkish interior minister Suleymon Soylu says 10 cities have been affected by the quake.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the official said the cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis had all suffered damage.
Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said the earthquake was felt most intensely in the surrounding provinces of Kahramanmaraş, but was also strongly felt in Hatay, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa.
#CanlıYayın📡 | #Deprem Basın Açıklaması @fuatoktay @murat_kurum @VahitKirisci @kasapoglu https://t.co/9eiB6t2DFd
— Süleyman Soylu (@suleymansoylu) February 6, 2023
In Sanliurfa, the Turkish province east of Gaziantep where the quake’s epicentre was located, the effects were “severe and long-lasting” according to officials.
Governor Salih Ayhan urged citizens not to panic in a Twitter post early on Monday morning.
Şanlıurfa’da da hissettiğimiz şiddetli ve uzun süren bir #deprem yaşadık.
— Salih AYHAN (@valisalihayhan) February 6, 2023
Vatandaşlarımızın panik yapmamalarını, @AFADBaskanlik, @DepremDairesi ve @UrfaValiliğinden gelen bilgilere göre hareket etmelerini rica ediyorum.
Some images are dropping from inside Turkey and Syria showing large-scale destruction:
At least 15 dead - reports
New information from Agence France-Presse claims the death toll has increased to at least 15 people, with the number expected to climb much higher.
Locals officials said five people died in the province of Osmaniye and 10 more in Sanliurfa, which sits near Turkey’s border with Syria.
Concern for millions of Syrian refugees at epicentre of quake
The epicentre of the quake is home to millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey outside the city of Gaziantep.
Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, 3.5 million Syrians, according to the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, which runs one of its largest operations from Gaziantep.
Many live in tents and makeshift structures.
In northwest Syria, the opposition’s Syrian civil defence described the situation in the rebel-held region as “disastrous” adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under the rubble. The civil defence urged people to evacuate buildings to gather in open areas.
Videos posted on social networks show the moment multiple apartment buildings collapsed in southern Turkey.
A BBC Turkish correspondent in Diyarbakir reports that a shopping mall in the city collapsed.
Rushdi Abualouf, a BBC producer in the Gaza Strip, said there was about 45 seconds of shaking in the house he was staying in.
Multiple apartment buildings have collapsed after a powerful earthquake in southern Turkey pic.twitter.com/wydrBj94RL
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 6, 2023
Horrific news of tonight’s earthquake in #Turkey & northern #Syria — the damage looks extensive.
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) February 6, 2023
The epicenter region is home to millions of refugees and IDPs, many of whom live in tents & makeshift structures. This is the absolute nightmare scenario for them. And it’s winter. pic.twitter.com/oACzWYtWb2
Turkey is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.
The country sits atop the Anatolian Plate, a block of the Earth’s crust that is slowly rotating counterclockwise and shifting west with time, moving about an inch every year. Collisions with the African plate and Eurasian plate can result in frequent earthquakes.
Düzce was one of the regions hit by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999 – the worst to hit Turkey in decades. That quake killed more than 17,000 people, including about 1,000 in Istanbul.
Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, which has allowed widespread building without safety precautions.
A magnitude-6.8 quake hit Elazığ in January 2020, killing more than 40 people. And in October that year, a magnitude 7.0 quake hit the Aegean Sea, killing 114 people and wounding more than 1,000.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has tweeted his “best wishes” to citizens affected by the earthquake which was “felt in many parts of our country”.
“Our search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the areas affected,” he wrote.
Kahramanmaraş’ta meydana gelen ve ülkemizin pek çok yerinde hissedilen depremden etkilenen tüm vatandaşlarımıza geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum. İlgili tüm birimlerimiz AFAD koordinasyonunda teyakkuz halindedir.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) February 6, 2023
At least 10 killed, dozens trapped under rubble
At least 10 people have been killed in Turkey after an earthquake shook the country’s south and also northern Syria, two local Turkish officials said.
Five people died in Turkey’s Osmaniye province, its regional governor, said adding that 34 buildings had collapsed.
The mayor of Turkey’s Sanliurfa said another five people died and 16 buildings in the region collapsed.
What we know so far
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the earthquake that hit Turkey early on Monday. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold.
If you have just joined us, here is what we know so far:
A strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey early on Monday and was felt across the border in Lebanon and Syria.
The quake struck at 4.17 am local time (0117 GMT). It was centred about 32km (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital in the country’s south-east, and about 26km (16 miles) from the town of Nurdağı.
It was 17.7km (11 miles) deep, according to the US Geological Survey. A strong 6.7 temblor rumbled about 10 minutes later.
There were reports of tremors felt in Lebanon, Greece, Syria, Israel and Cyprus.
Videos posted on social networks showed destroyed buildings in several cities in the south-east of the country.
Updated
