Two Massive Earthquake Strikes Turkey and Syria…1600+ Dead
● Rare 'doublet earthquake' hits Turkey and Syria ● 1600 dead, 5383 injured, and 2818 buildings toppled. ● The ancient Gaziantep Castle; partly left in ruins. ● EU, NATO, France, Ukraine and many others pledge support.
Al Atarib, Syria - Rescue workers search for survivors under the enormous rubble (White Helmets/via Reuters)
In southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake left more than 1300 people dead, 5383 injured and about 2500 trapped as at the time of this report. It toppled 2818 buildings.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was the country’s largest disaster since 1939, “Nine thousand personnel are currently carrying out search and rescue operations, and this number is constantly increasing with those who reach the region from outside,” he added. “We do not know how far the number of dead and injured will rise, as debris removal works continue in many buildings in the earthquake zone.”
The European Union, France and NATO have offered alliance through mobilized rescue teams from the different bodies to aid Turkey manage the situation. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also contributed its quota with a focus on search and rescue.
An ancient castle in the city of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey has been left in ruins by Monday's devastating earthquake.
The earthquake also damaged the Iskenderun port located in the southern Turkish province of Hatay.
Residents rescue a child from rubles (Rami al Sayed/AFP)
