Turkey-Syria earthquake: Death toll passes 37,000

Turkey-Syria earthquake February 6, 2023

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, at 4:17 a.m. local time (1:17 UTC). It was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in a century, according to many media sources. It sent tremors as far away as Lebanon and Israel. As of February 12, 2023, the death toll stands at more than 37,000, according to CNN.

In a bright spot on Tuesday, five members of a family were pulled alive from the rubble in Syria.

A true miracle…the sounds of joy embrace the sky… joy beyond belief.
An entire family was rescued from under the rubble of their house this afternoon, Tuesday, February 7, in the village of Bisnia, west of #Idlib.#Syria #earthquake pic.twitter.com/Cb7kXLiMjT

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 7, 2023

clearly visible fault rupture from the #Turkey #earthquake #deprem near #Nurdagi

Should be about 3-4m of horizontal displacement

image from google-earth and maxar pic.twitter.com/DXukm3eWdN

— Andreas Schäfer (@DrAndreasS) February 9, 2023

This dataviz created by Earth44 shows all earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.0 that occurred in Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023. A total of 188 earthquakes. pic.twitter.com/NaCST8Zn4Q

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) February 7, 2023

You can help with the relief effort

Two good possibilities are Unicef, or Save the Children. We’ll appreciate hearing more about your trusted sources for donations in the comments below.

Shared stories from neighboring countries

NPR’s Ruth Sherlock – reporting from Lebanon – said:

To put this into perspective for you, the force of this earthquake … there have been reports of buildings collapsed in an area that spans 200 miles [322 km] around the epicenter. In Gaziantep, I’m told there’s extensive damage in the older parts of the city. And then residential buildings have also collapsed in Adana, Diyarbakir and other cities. And in these places, people tried to escape in their cars, but that just jammed the roads and made it harder for emergency services to help the wounded. And then just now, a few hours after the first earthquake, there’s been a tremor almost as powerful as the first one, almost in the same area.

Drone footage shows the scale of devastation in Turkey and Syria caused by two earthquakes and aftershocks ??

? LIVE updates: https://t.co/FRLf9rE4t6 pic.twitter.com/Ymx55S8y8Y

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 6, 2023

More images of the Turkey-Syria earthquake

Two major earthquakes and aftershocks have caused devastation and killed over 2,300 people across southeast Turkey and northern Syria, with search and rescue operations underway.

Here’s what you need to know ?? pic.twitter.com/9mOSKHKa14

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 6, 2023

Seismic waves from the M7.8 (USGS) earthquake in Southern Turkey crossing Europe. Each dot is a seismic station. (GMV) https://t.co/6cY0RObbXv pic.twitter.com/SHbdkxQXzD

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) February 6, 2023

The Port in the Southern Turkish City of ?skenderun has been utterly destroyed by the 2 Earthquakes that rocked the Country overnight; Fires at the Port have been burning for several hours now with Fire Crews unable to reach them due to the Severe Damage. pic.twitter.com/wTOPIBhRqm

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 6, 2023

Can we avoid so much destruction?

BigRentz shows us the earthquake-proof systems that can be used, from flexible foundations to pendulum power.

Earthquake do’s and don’ts

If you are affected by an earthquake, this is what you should and shouldn’t do, according to National Disaster Management Authority of India.

Bottom line: The Turkey-Syria earthquake of February 6, 2023 – a 7.8 magnitude earthquake – has wreaked devastation on the area. Images, links and updates here.