Turkey and Syria earthquakes live updates: Death toll passes 11,000, earthquake map, video of magnitude 7.8 quake
Headlines
- Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll passes 11,000
- Snow storms and freezing temperatures complicate the ongoing rescue effort
- Turkish President Erdogan announces three-month disaster declaration
- More than 4m Syrians were already relying on humanitarian aid, as a result of ongoing civil war
- A 7.8-magnitude quake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria in early hours of Monday morning
- A second, 7.5-magnitude tremor followed at 1:30pm local time - What causes earthquakes?
- President Biden has authorised "immediate US response" according to White House
- Nations around the world send response support - How to donate to earthquake victims?
Turkey blocks Twitter in response to outrage at the government response
The Turkish government has blocked most access to Twitter following anger at the government response to the devastating earthquake.
“Twitter has been restricted in #Turkey; the filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the public come to rely on the service in the aftermath of a series of deadly earthquakes,” NetBlocks, an internet observatory that follows global net freedoms, announced.
People in Mechelen, Belgium, light candles during commemoration event held for victims of Monday's earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
(Photo: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Turkey working to open more Syria border gates - foreign minister
Turkey is working on opening two more border gates with Syria to enable flow of humanitarian aid to its earthquake-hit neighbour, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters, Cavusoglu said damage on the Syria side of the road leading to Cilvegozu border gate, solely open for humanitarian aid as part of United Nations Security Council authorisation, is causing difficulties in quake response.
“There are some difficulties in terms of Turkey’s and the international community’s aid (reaching to Syria). For this reason, efforts are being made to open two more border gates,” Cavusoglu said.
(Reuters)
Eight-year-old Beyan Haddap is taken to hospital in Antakya, in Turkey's Hatay Province, after being rescued from under rubble 62 hours after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit the south of the country and northern Syria.
(Photo by Sergen Sezgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Turkey is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world as it sits on the Anatolian Plate which borders two major faults as it shifts northeast against Eurasia. The North Anatolian fault crosses the country from west to east and the East Anatolian fault rests in the country’s southeastern region.
This grinding has been instrumental in causing large earthquakes that moved progressively from east to west over a period of 60 years. It was this process that brought about two earthquakes on Monday, with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5. Emergency response efforts are continuing but the freezing winter conditions are making things tougher.
Drone video from Turkey shows earthquake damage
The rescue effort is continuing in Turkey and Syria more than two days after the two earthquakes struck the region. Thousands of buildings collapsed after the early morning 7.8-magnitude earthquake and the official death toll has now surpassed 11,000.
A statement from UNICEF released in the aftermath of the quakes reads: "Thousands of homes have been destroyed, displacing families and exposing them to the elements at a time of year when temperatures regularly drop below freezing and snow and freezing rain are common."
How strong is a 7.8-magnitude earthquake?
The scale of the destruction in Turkey and Syria is difficult to quantify, with millions of lives upended by the tragedy. The two earthquakes that struck on Monday were rated as 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude. For context there are typically only around 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or above across the world in a typical year.
The New York Times reports that the energy released by the earthquake was around 32 petajoules, which would be enough to power New York City for more than four days. But what makes earthquakes like the one seen Monday particularly dangerous is the location, striking a region that is densley populated.
Residents affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have shared footage online, detailing the thousands of collapsed buildings recorded right across the region.
More than 9,000 rescue workers are thought to be involved in the response effort, with NATO and the European Union leading the humanitarian activities. Across the world 45 nations have offered support to Turkey and Syria.
Videos taken in the region show the extent of the damage caused.
Newborn baby rescued from earthquake
Rescue workers are engaged in a massive effort to locate any survivors left in the rubble. Earlier this week they made an incredible discovery when a newborn baby was pulled alive from the rubble in Syria; she is thought to be the only surviving member of her immediate family.
Be warned, the footage shared here by AFP may be disturbing to some viewers.
Death toll rises to 11,000 after Turkey-Syria earthquake
The tragedy is continuing to unfold the Middle East where the official death toll has just passed 11,000. Thousands of building across the region collapsed afte two massive 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on Monday. The search and rescue mission is continuing but workers will face freezing winter conditions.
"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," said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
"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."
Footage of the fallout from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has been shocking. Thousands of buildings right across the region collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning and more than 11,000 people are now thought to have lost their lives.
Many hospitals have been affected by the earthquake, further limiting their ability to render aid to those injured. First responders from local, national, and international organizations have flooded the area to provide support.
If you want to donate to help the victims of the earthquake, here's three organizations accepting donations...
Former UN official warns death toll could reach 20,000
After two days the emergency response effort in Turkey and Syria is continuing, but hopes of finding more survivors in the wreckage are becoming increasingly remote. The bitterly cold winter conditions are making it more difficult for search and rescue teams to wade through the rubble and making conditions more inhospitable for those trapped in the debris.
Turkey-Syria earthquake map shows massive scale
Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.5 and 7.8 devasted areas of southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. As of Wednesday morning the death toll is though to be close to 10,000 and is expected to rise substantially in the coming weeks.
The shockwaves eminated from the Anatolian Fault that passes through the area. As this earthquake map shows, the affected area spans the width of the Netherlands and thousands of building have collapsed as a result. In a region beset by civil war the emergency response will be extremeley difficult.
Charlie Hebdo earthquake cartoon criticised
French publication Charlie Hebdo is known for provacative and controversial cartoons satirising contemporary events, but the sketch in response to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have been slammed as tasteless. Ibrahim Kalin, chief advisor to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, said that the drawing was the work of 'modern barbarians' and the magazine's post on Twitter has been flagged as hate speech by many users.
Drone video shows damage from earthquake
Astonishing drone footage from the scene in Turkey captures the immense scale of the emergency situation unfolding in the Middle East. Thousands of building have collapsed across an area spanning hundred of miles after the region was struck with one of the worst earthquakes to hit for decades.
Video shows extent of the damage from 7.8 magnitude earthquake
Heartbreaking footage from CNN shows conditions on the ground in Turkey, where two massive earthquakes struck on Monday morning. The massive search and rescue effort is continuing as emergency response teams dig through the rubble in a bid to find missing persons stuck in the debris.
Death toll could rise to 20,000, WHO warns
Areas of turkey and Syria are reeling after two massive earthquakes devastated the region earlier this week. As of Wednesday morning the death toll is thought to be close to 10,000 but that number is expected to rise once the ongoing search and rescue efforts have been concluded. The quake came in the middle of the winter, with temperatures below freezing and snow blizzards disrupting the emergency response operations.
President Zelenskyy offers support to Turkey
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to send rescue teams and equipment to Turkey to support the response to the earthquakes that struck earlier this week. Ukraine has received tens of billions of dollars in support since the Russian invasion began but is willing to pass on some of its emergency response capabilities to offer aid to earthquake victims.
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The emergency response teams are now in the third day of a massive search and rescue operation in the aftermath of the earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of Monday morning. President Biden has pledged to offer support to the ailing nations but winter conditions are making the clean-up effort particularly tricky.