Turkey’s Devastating Earthquakes
Monday morning an earthquake struck and killed more than 3000 people in Turkey. This number is predicted to increase.
Only 12 hours after the first earthquake another hit further north. The search for survivors is an ongoing process that involves rescuers searching through rubble in extremely cold conditions.
Countries around the world are aiding Turkey through this crisis. Supplies are being provided as well as specialist teams and sniffer dogs to help find survivors.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a 7.8 magnitude. It struck at 4:17 local time at a depth of 11 miles near Gaziantep, a city in Turkey. it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Turkey and took about 2 minutes to stop.
The second strike had a magnitude of 7.5 and occurred in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.
Aftershocks are still being felt to this day.
Affects on Residents
Throughout Monday deaths in Turkey and Syria have increased significantly. The death toll is expected to rise eight times as much.
The senior emergency officer for Europe at the WHO, Catherine Smallwood, told AFP, “We always see the same phenomenon with earthquakes, which is that the first reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will climb pretty considerably in the week that follows.” Smallwood added that the snowy conditions will lead to even further dangers for the people of Turkey.
Many deaths are being reported in Northern Syria where many refuges are being held.
Roads and buildings as high as 12 stories are all destroyed leaving nothing but mountains of rubble on sidewalks. There is not an area in sight that has not been affected by this earthquake. One of the buildings destroyed includes Gaziantep Castle, a historic landmark that has stood tall for over 2000 years.
After the devastating news, many reporters traveled to Turkey to experience it for themselves. Many say that there is constant rain which is not ideal with the amount of rubble on the ground. There is also no power and regular aftershocks that are alarming. With all these factors there is no telling how long this situation will take to fix.
Specific Stories
After all that has happened many stories of residents are being revealed to the public. One of which would involve 11 high-story buildings that collapsed in the Turkish city of Adana.
An elderly couple was in shock to find out that their daughter had died due to a fall. This unfortunate situation led to many injured.
A tough story about a new born baby is also coming to light. According to the Syrian media, a woman had just given birth while in the middle of the earthquake. The building caved in which left the family dead with the baby still connected to the mother’s umbilical cord.
This is only one of many stories that have had a huge impact on Turkey and Syria. Rescuers are still working intensively on finding families in all this destruction.
After a 40-hour search of looking for families in the rubble a family of four was rescued from an area considered impossible to survive. Video footage was captured at the scene which displays signs of rejoicing from rescuers after mending a family back together. This has sparked much attention and has given people hope.
Wrapping it all Up
A region already suffering from Syria’s civil war, which has driven more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees into Turkey, was devastated by the earthquake and its aftershocks’ toll. Humanitarian aid from the United Nations was already being provided to an estimated 4.1 million residents in the affected area.
Everyone in that area was affected in one way or another which is very unfortunate. Deaths are increasing but survivors are being discovered every day. All that we can do is hope that Turkey and Syria will be better soon.
At the moment there are many different things that are being done to help. Resources are being distributed between the areas affected by the earthquake from country to country. Recovery time is unpredictable at this time but will be projected faster if more help is provided.
By Esteban Ruiz
Sources:
NPR: Earthquake death toll tops 7,200 in Turkey and Syria as race for survivors continues
Aljazeera: What is happening in Turkey, Syria? Key quake questions answered
The Guardian: Syria and Turkey earthquake: what we know so far
Featured Image Courtesy of Thomas Depenbusch’s (Depi) Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Diego Correa’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
