Earthquakes Shakes Syria And Turkey

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February 6, 2023

Two of the strongest earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye, of 7.8 and 7.7 magnitude, occurred on Monday 6 February at about 4:15 am and 1:30 pm local time, affecting more than 18.1 million people.

One of the strongest earthquakes in the region in more than 100 years, of 7.8 magnitude, occurred on Monday 6 February in southeastern Türkiye at about 4:15 am local time (1:15 UTC), centered about 70 kilometers from Gaziantep, in Şekeroba. A strong 6.7 aftershock was felt in Türkoğlu, a few kilometers north from the first earthquake, about 10 minutes later. More than 2.65 million people were living in the 50 kilometers radius of the epicenter. Up to 70,000 people were exposed to violent shaking, according to USGS. Another 7.7 earthquake occurred 100 kilometers north of the first one, in Ekinözü, with an aftershock of magnitude 6, at 1:30 pm local time .

A series of earthquakes have been following the initial tremors, with 271 aftershocks recorded with a magnitude greater than 4 as of 5:30 pm local time on 7 February including four aftershocks with a magnitude above 5 recorded at around 6 am, 10 am and 6.50 pm local time. The continuous shaking is hampering search and rescue activities and contributing to fuel panic, with residents evacuating their shelters in a rush.

The earthquakes have been felt throughout the region, in neighboring countries, especially Syrian border regions with Türkiye and Iraq. They severely affected an area of around 450 kilometers, from Adana in the west to Diyarbakır in the east and 300 kilometers from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south in Türkiye, including the main cities of Gaziantep, Adana, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Diyarbakir, Adiyaman and Sanliurfa in Türkiye, where about 13.5 million people are residing. In northwest Syria, Syrian authorities reported deaths as far south as Hama, about 100 kilometers from the epicentre, including the cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Homs and Hama, home to about 4.6 million people. WHO fears that up to 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, could be affected cumulatively