More than 2,300 people have been killed after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria. With hundreds injured, the death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers search through rubble in cities and towns across the area.
This devastating and very sad loss of life will of course have huge ramifications for the people who live in the area. However, it is not a region of Turkey where many British tourists venture.
The earthquake hit the south east of Turkey. The sunshine resorts where thousands of Brits holiday every year – many departing from East Midlands Airport – are in the south west, hundreds of miles away from the epicentre of the quake.
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However, many travellers are being urged to double check their flights for possible cancellations or delays. Below is everything you need to know.
Where was the earthquake and how bad is the situation?
Buildings were devastated in the Turkish city of Adana, while further east in Diyarbakir, cranes and rescue teams rushed people on stretchers out of a mountain of pancaked concrete floors that was once an apartment building. On the Syrian side of the border, the quake smashed opposition-held regions packed with some four million people who were displaced from other parts of Syria by the country’s long civil war.
What is the advice for people travelling to Turkey?
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's latest advise says: "A 7.8 earthquake hit Gaziantep and nine other Turkish provinces (Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Sanliurfa, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Adana, Malatya) in the south east of Turkey on 6 February 2023. There have been several strong after-shocks and the Turkish government has announced its highest level of state emergency.
"You should avoid the Southeast region of Turkey and follow the advice of the local authorities." However, there is no warning against travel to Turkey's popular tourist areas such as Çeşme, Didim, Fethiye, Marmaris, Bodrum and Antalya.
There is also no restriction on travel to the capital, Istanbul, which is on the other side of the country in the north west.
Will my holiday to Turkey be cancelled?
Because the holiday resorts are so far away from the area where the earthquake struck, it is very unlikely holidays will be cancelled in 2023. Flights to Antalya Airport, where many Brits arrive for their transfers to resorts, are today operating as normal.
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