Hundreds of dead and wounded as a result of a devastating earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter that the Disaster and Emergency Department and other units are on alert, noting that rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the earthquake-affected areas.

“We’re coordinating our work after the earthquake, and we hope to overcome this disaster together as soon as possible, with the least amount of damage, and continue our work,” he added.

In Syria, the Syrian President Bashar al Assad presided over an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss the damages of the earthquake that struck the country and the necessary measures.

Its repercussions spread to Syria and Lebanon, and it was felt by the people of Cyprus, Greece, Iraq and Palestine.

The number of victims of the devastating earthquake that struck southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria rose to at least 187 dead and 956 injured in both countries.

The earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and had a depth of 18 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.

The Turkish Anadolu News Agency stated that the number of injured as a result of the earthquake has so far reached 440, in addition to the destruction of more than 180 buildings in 7 Turkish states affected by the earthquake, according to the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Authority.

However, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Authority stated that the intensity of the earthquake was 7.4 degrees on the Richter scale, and it was at a depth of approximately 7 kilometers.

Several aftershocks occurred, one of which had a magnitude of 6.4 at a later time.

The earthquake was felt by residents in Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian territories, Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, Iraq and some areas in Egypt.

For his part, Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said that six earthquakes exceeding 6 degrees on the Richter scale hit the country so far from the beginning of Monday.

Soylu added that the earthquakes affected several Turkish states, including Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis and Sanliurfa.

Soylu added, “Our rescue teams have been dispatched to the area… Cargo planes have been prepared and sent to the region”.

He noted that the country has declared a level four alert, which includes a call for international aid.

In Syria, dozens of buildings collapsed and scores of people were killed and injured in the Aleppo countryside, northern Syria, and a number of Syrian cities as a result of the earthquake that hit Türkiye and affected Syria at dawn today, Monday.

The Syrian Ministry of Health said on its Facebook page that at least 111 people were killed and at least 516 people were injured in the governorates of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartous.

The Syrian Ministry of Health added that an emergency team (paramedics and specialist doctors), equipped mobile clinics, and supply vehicles (medicines, emergency and surgical supplies) were sent from the central administration in Damascus and the governorates of Homs and Tartous to Aleppo and Latakia.

Türkiye sits on several tectonic plates, making it a hotspot for seismic activity.

One of the most dangerous earthquakes in the past years, in October 2020, struck the city of Izmir on the Aegean Sea, killing more than 100 people.

In November 1999, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed about 900 people in Duzce.

In September of the same year, a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 claimed the lives of more than 17,100 people in the area around the industrial city of Izmit.

In turn, the Italian authorities lowered the warning level of a tsunami in the south of the country, which they issued after a strong earthquake shook central Türkiye and northern and western Syria in the early hours of Monday morning, killing hundreds of people.

The United States also announced its readiness to provide all necessary assistance to Türkiye in light of the devastating earthquake that struck the south of the country, at dawn on Monday.

“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of today’s devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

“We’re ready to provide all necessary assistance,” he added.

He pointed out that President Joe Biden “directed the US Agency for International Development and other government partners to evaluate possible US response options to help the most affected people”.

“We’ll continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the Turkish government,” he added.