A catastrophic earthquake struck Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border, resulting in at least 17 fatalities.
According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude 7.8 tremor occurred at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) with a depth of 17.9 km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep. The earthquake was felt across several cities in Turkey, including the capital Ankara, as well as in neighboring countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus.
The earthquake caused widespread damage to the region, with multiple reports of buildings collapsing and people trapped in the rubble. Ten cities in Turkey were affected by the earthquake, including Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu.
A BBC Turkish correspondent in Diyarbakir, located north-east of Gaziantep, reported that a shopping mall in the city had collapsed due to the intensity of the earthquake. The disaster has prompted a massive rescue and relief operation, with authorities rushing to the affected areas to assist those in need. The full extent of the damage and the number of casualties is still being assessed.
Turkey💔 #Turkey #amed #earthquake #Earthquake pic.twitter.com/qVwPXft9Hu
— Ismail Rojbayani (@ismailrojbayani) February 6, 2023
Turkey is situated in one of the world’s seismically active regions.
In 1999, a devastating earthquake struck the northwest of the country, resulting in the loss of over 17,000 lives.
According to Rushdi Abualouf, a producer for the BBC in the Gaza Strip, the house he was residing in experienced a shaking sensation that lasted approximately 45 seconds.
Turkish seismologists estimated the magnitude of the earthquake to be 7.4 on the Richter scale.
They also reported that there was a second tremor that occurred in the region just a few minutes after the initial quake.
From multipel resources this also has been reported that “Natural gas pipelines in Amik plain in Hatay burst with the force of the earthquake. Fire spread to the fields.”
🇹🇷#Earthquake in #Turkey.#Hatay: “Natural gas pipelines in Amik plain in Hatay burst with the force of the earthquake. Fire spread to the fields.” pic.twitter.com/POyQWaRavS
— Lenar (@Lerpc75) February 6, 2023
The Deathtoll due to earthquake has been rising and reports of different buliding collapsing is comeing.
Heart heavy for #Turkey #Syria #Lebanon and all the other places affected by the massive #earthquake today. May Allah have mercy on the dead, and comfort the living. Ameen pic.twitter.com/C8XGLYKqLj
— Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman504) February 6, 2023
Turkish offcial have requested intenational community for the assistance to coop with the damages.
#VIDEO: #Turkey requests international assistance following massive earthquake
pic.twitter.com/q4qYONpflY— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) February 6, 2023