According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:17 a.m. local time on Monday near the province of Karamanmaras in southern Turkey. A few hours later, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck more than 60 miles away. Both quakes were followed by dozens of powerful aftershocks that persisted into Tuesday.
More than 6,000 buildings were destroyed. Tens of thousands of injuries have also been reported, in addition to the rising death toll. Many people are still buried under the debris.
Though the UN cautions that the scale of the disaster is still not entirely understood, it is now known that more than 21,000 people died in the earthquakes that occurred on Monday in Turkey and Syria.
Rescuers are still looking through the rubble for survivors, but more than four days after the initial earthquake, optimism is waning.
After losing their homes, tens of thousands of people have spent a chilly fourth night in temporary shelters.
The earthquake was dubbed “the calamity of the century” by the Turkish president.
A significant international relief effort is progressing. The World Bank pledged $1.78 billion (£1.38 billion) in aid to Turkey on Thursday. This aid includes money for the urgent restoration of essential infrastructure as well as assistance for families affected by the earthquakes.
The US also contributed, pledging a package of $85 million to both nations.
100,000 or more rescue workers are currently on the ground, but their operations need to be improved because of logistical problems like a lack of vehicles and damaged roads.
“The calamity of the century,” according to the president of Turkey
Even in Syria, where a protracted civil conflict has wrecked the nation, the full scale of the calamity is still “unfolding before our eyes,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said.
The first shipment of UN humanitarian aid entered western Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing in Idlib on Thursday.
There is no other way for UN aid to reach the area unless it passes through territory controlled by Syrian government forces, so crossing is necessary.
Mr. Guterres promised that more assistance was on the way. He also pleaded with the UN Security Council to permit the delivery of supplies across several borders.
“This is a moment of togetherness; it is not a moment to politicize or divide,” he said, even though we need a lot of help. to
Munira Mohammad, a mother of four who evacuated Aleppo in Syria following the earthquake, told Reuters on Thursday that her family was in severe need of heating and more supplies, adding: “It was so cold last night that we had trouble sleeping. It’s awful.”
The first UN convoy to arrive in the area, according to the White Helmets rescue organization, lacked the specialized tools needed to extricate those trapped under the rubble.
Alerts for a second calamity
According to authorities, 18,342 people perished in Turkey, surpassing the more than 17,000 fatalities from a comparable earthquake that struck northwest Turkey in 1999.
3,377 people had been killed in Syria as of a previous report.
Beyond other events like the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, the tremor is among the deadliest natural disasters of the century.
In south-eastern Turkey, Resat Gozlu, a survivor who is still living on the floor of a sports complex with his family, claimed that rescuers did not come there for three days after the earthquake.
According to him, a great number of people are still trapped beneath the rubble, while others perished from the cold.
He warned the associated channel that major health problems and disease might result if this keeps up.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that a second humanitarian crisis will occur unless survivors can obtain access to shelter, food, water, and medicine “extremely quickly.”
Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, told the BBC that because “there are still hundreds and hundreds of aftershocks,” the organization’s employees in Gaziantep, Turkey, were sleeping in cars.
Communities in Syria relied on water reservoirs, which were the first to collapse, according to Dr. Kluge. He claimed that cholera outbreaks, which he claimed existed before the earthquake, would continue until the reservoirs were restored.
In different cities in Turkey the damaged scenarios
In the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, it was reported that thousands of structures had collapsed over a large region. Rescue crews continued to recover several survivors while finding the bodies of the victims.
Islahiye, a town in southeast Turkey’s Gaziantep province that was close to the 7.8 quake’s epicenter and was severely damaged, was among the areas struck.
The epicenter of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, which occurred in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, was located 14.2 miles to the east of Nurdagi and 15 miles below the earth’s surface, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Here’s some more information on earthquakes:
Preparedness: As mentioned earlier, if you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, it’s important to be prepared. This can include having an emergency supply kit on hand, knowing how to turn off utilities, and having an evacuation plan in place. It’s also a good idea to secure heavy items in your home, such as bookcases and televisions, so they don’t fall and cause injury during an earthquake.
Predicting earthquakes: Currently, there is no reliable method for predicting earthquakes. Scientists have been able to identify certain patterns and precursors that may indicate that an earthquake is likely to occur in the future, but there is no way to know for certain when an earthquake will happen or how strong it will be.
Effects of earthquakes: The effects of earthquakes can be far-reaching and long-lasting. In addition to causing damage to buildings and infrastructure, earthquakes can trigger landslides, tsunamis, and other secondary hazards. Earthquakes can also disrupt essential services such as power, water, and communication networks, making it difficult for rescue and recovery efforts to proceed.
Measuring earthquakes: The magnitude of an earthquake is typically measured on the Richter scale, which is a logarithmic scale that measures the amount of energy released by the seismic event. Earthquakes can range in magnitude from less than 2.0, which is often not felt by people, to over 9.0, which can cause catastrophic damage. The intensity of an earthquake is measured using the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, which measures the effects of an earthquake based on observed damage and perceived shaking.
Earthquakes around the world: Earthquakes can occur anywhere in the world, but they are most common along tectonic plate boundaries. Some of the most seismically active regions in the world include California and the Pacific Northwest in the United States, Japan, the Mediterranean region, and the “Ring of Fire” that circles the Pacific Ocean.
