By Rinshi Ansari, February 8, 2023
More than 8,300 people have died as a result of a terrible earthquake that struck southern Turkey and Syria on Wednesday. Rescuers battled against the clock in the bitter winter weather to find survivors among the wreckage. The number of fatalities appeared to be significantly on the rise as the disaster’s scope became more and more clear.
According to a UN source, thousands of youngsters could have perished. Ten provinces in Turkey were placed under emergency rule by President Tayyip Erdogan. The deadliest earthquake to strike Turkey since 1999 was responded to by authorities very slowly and inadequately, according to the people of many affected Turkish cities, who expressed their rage and sadness.
More Updates and Key Events
Turkey and Syria will get earthquake relief from the Taliban government.
According to a statement from the foreign ministry, the Taliban government in Afghanistan would send roughly $165,000 in aid to Turkey and Syria to assist in the reaction to this week’s deadly magnitude 7.8 earthquake. One of the greatest humanitarian relief programmes run by the United Nations is currently taking place in Afghanistan, which is grappling with a serious economic and humanitarian catastrophe. As Western forces left in 2021, the Taliban assumed control, leading to the imposition of banking sector restrictions, and no capital has formally recognised its administration.
Turkey’s Nurdagi is shaken by an earthquake of magnitude 4.3.
On Wednesday, a second quake of magnitude 4.3 shook the Turkish city of Nurdagi district in the Gaziantep Province. The United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake at 8:31 am at a depth of 10 km, 15 km south of Nurdagi, in the location 37.032°N 36.721°E. (USGS).
According to the UN, about 70% of Syrians required humanitarian assistance prior to the earthquake.
According to a joint UN statement, about 70% of the population was in need of humanitarian aid even before the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the nation that had been wracked by a 12-year-long conflict.
El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the UN Resident Coordinator and Interim Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, and Muhannad Hadi, the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, released the statement on Tuesday.
Stay tuned for more updates.