Turkey and Syria earthquake live updates: hundreds dead after strong 7.8-magnitude quake
More than 300 dead in Turkey and Syria
The toll from the earthquake in Syria has risen to more than 230 dead, and 600 wounded, a senior health official has told state media.
In neighbouring Turkey, where the earthquake was centred, the nation’s disaster management agency AFAD said on Monday that 76 people had been killed and 440 injured.
Key events
Reuters has a quick snap that Turkey’s vice president has announced that flights are suspended from Hatay airport due to damage from the earthquake. The airport is in Turkey’s south, close to the border with Syria and near the city of Aleppo.
Italian authorities have withdrawn a tsunami warning for the country’s southern coast.
The alert was raised shortly after the earthquake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria. Italy’s Civil Protection Department had recommended people in the coastal areas move to high ground.
Summary
If you are just joining us, here is everything we know so far about the massive quake that hit Turkey overnight, bringing down buildings across the border in Syria too:
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More than 300 people have been killed and 1000 injured in Turkey and Syria after a strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-eastern Turkey on Monday.
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The quake hit at 4:17am local time (01:17 GMT) and was felt in Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
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The quake was centred about 32km (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital in the country’s south-east, and about 26km (16 miles) from the town of Nurdağı.
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It was 17.7km (11 miles) deep, according to the US Geological Survey. A strong 6.7 temblor rumbled about 10 minutes later.
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The number of casualties was emerging as the search for survivors continued early on Monday. At least 76 were dead in Turkey after the quake, Turkish officials said, according to AFP. Officials said 23 people died in the province of Malatya, 17 in Urfa, seven in Osmaniye, and six in Diyarbakir, although the toll threatened to climb much higher because of the heavy damage.
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There were also reports of deaths in Syria. At least 245 people were killed across Aleppo, Hama and Lattakia and 516 were injured, according to the Syrian health ministry.
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A source at a hospital in north Syria told AFP at least eight people had died “in the regions of Azaz and al-Bab”, adding that the number was likely to rise as search and rescue operations were ongoing.
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Turkish interior minister Süleyman Soylu said 10 cities had been affected by the quake. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the official said the cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis had all suffered damage.
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Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said the earthquake was felt most intensely in the surrounding provinces of Kahramanmaraş, but was also strongly felt in Hatay, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa.
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Members of the Syrian civil defence operating in rebel-held areas are claiming “tens of victims and people stuck under rubble” after the quake. The civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said in a post on Twitter that the volunteer group was working to rescue survivors.
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There were reports of tremors felt in Lebanon, Greece, Syria, Israel and Cyprus.
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Videos posted on social networks showed destroyed buildings in several cities in the south-east of the country.
Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has chaired an emergency meeting of the nation’s council of ministers to assess the damage of the earthquake, according to a Facebook post by Syria’s health ministry.
It said in another post that medical professionals are being sent to affected regions.
Ukraine ready to provide help following earthquake: Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said his country was ready to provide necessary assistance to “friendly” Turkish people in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the country earlier on Monday, Reuters reports.
Zelenskiy said on Twitter:
Shocked by the news about the death and injury of hundreds of people as a result of the earthquake in Turkey.
We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. We are in this moment close to the friendly Turkish people, ready to provide the necessary assistance.
Cumhurbaşkanı @RTErdogan‘a, 🇹🇷 halkına ve 🇹🇷’deki depremde hayatını kaybedenlerin ailelerine başsağlığı dileklerimi iletiyor tüm yaralılara acil şifalar diliyorum. Bu zor zamanda 🇹🇷 halkının yanındayız. Afetin sonuçlarının üstesinden gelmek için gerekli yardımı sağlamaya hazırız.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 6, 2023
More than 300 dead in Turkey and Syria
The toll from the earthquake in Syria has risen to more than 230 dead, and 600 wounded, a senior health official has told state media.
In neighbouring Turkey, where the earthquake was centred, the nation’s disaster management agency AFAD said on Monday that 76 people had been killed and 440 injured.
Nearly 1000 search and rescue volunteers are being deployed from Istanbul to the affected earthquake regions in Turkey, according to the Governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya said.
This comes after Turkey’s disaster management agency called for international support to expand its search and rescue effort.
Deprem hemen sonra AFAD’dayız.
#İstanbul‘dan #deprem bölgesine İLK ETAPTA 80 AFAD görevlisi, 27 akredite belediye ve STK, 968 Arama Kurtarma gönüllüsü, 4 K9 köpeği, 2 TIR ve yardım malzemesi yola çıktı.Başımız sağ olsun.
Yaralılarımıza acil şifalar diliyorum.#Kahramanmaraş pic.twitter.com/ub2dGjpNub— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) February 6, 2023
Across affected regions of Turkey and Syria, rescue efforts are underway:
Turkey: deadly earthquake strikes near Syrian border – video
Footage capturing the frantic rescue efforts underway following the 7.8 magnitude tremor in southern Turkey and northern Syria, which has caused widespread destruction and trapped people under rubble.
Destruction strikes at night as huge earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria – in pictures
Our picture editors have gathered some of the images emerging from Turkey and Syria that capture the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake.
The White Helmets declare state of emergency in northeastern Syria
The White Helmets has put out a statement declaring a state of emergency in northwestern Syria following the earthquake.
The statement said:
The earthquake has resulted in hundreds of injuries, dozens of deaths, and people being stranded in the winter cold. Adverse weather conditions, including low temperatures and stormy weather have, have compounded the dire situation.
The group is appealing to international humanitarian organisations to intervene promptly and support the affected populations with aid.
