Three powerful earthquakes were felt in Turkey in 24 hours. On Monday, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered in Pajarsik district jolted Kahramanmaras and affected several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adıyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis, Anadolu Agency reported. Later in the day, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake centered in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras jolted the region. Earthquake tremors were also felt in several neighboring countries including Lebanon and Syria. later, second Earthquake Magnitude 6.0 strikes central Turkey.
Read also: turkey earthquake live updates
As per the latest reports, over 4,000 people have died so far due to the deadly Earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Multiple videos shared by users on social media showed buildings collapsing in several Turkish cities. One such video was shared from Sanliurfa City. The video showed a multi-storey apartment building collapsing on the road in a cloud of dust.
Another footage captured the terrifying moment of a building collapse in Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
A CCTV footage from a store near the city of Gaziantep captured a powerful earthquake that reportedly lasted about 90 seconds.
Rescue operations are underway in Turkey as they hope to pull more survivors from the rubble after three earthquakes that toppled thousands of buildings across a wide area. Survivors cried out for help from within the mountains of rubble as first responders battled rain and snow. Workers carefully removed concrete slabs and reached for bodies as desperate families waited for news of their loved ones.
Thousands of people became homeless in the cold. In the Turkish city of Gaziantep, a provincial capital about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from the epicenter, people took shelter in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centres.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country was rocked by the earthquake with the “biggest disaster” since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake.
According to the Associated Press, thousands of building collapses were reported across a wide area stretching more than 330 kilometers (200 mi) to the northeast, from the cities of Aleppo and Hama in Syria to Diyarbakır in Turkey. Officials said that more than 5,600 buildings were destroyed in Turkey alone. Hospitals were damaged, and one collapsed in the city of Iskenderun. Overnight temperatures reached near freezing, making conditions worse for those trapped under the rubble or left homeless.
In Kahramanmaras, north of Hatay, entire families gather around fires and wrap themselves in blankets to stay warm.
Several governments have rushed to send aid, personnel and equipment to help with rescue efforts in earthquake-hit areas of Turkey and Syria.
The European Union has mobilized search and rescue teams to help Turkey, while the 27-nation bloc’s Copernicus satellite system has been activated to provide emergency mapping services. At least 13 member states have offered assistance.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Biden administration is sending two, 79-person urban search and rescue teams to support Turkey’s efforts. India has also sent Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities. The first batch of earthquake relief material has left for Turkey along with NDRF search and rescue teams, specially trained dog squads, medical supplies, drilling machines and other essential equipment.
The UK is sending 76 search and rescue specialists with equipment and dogs as well as an emergency medical team to Turkey. Britain also says it is in contact with the United Nations to get aid to victims in Syria. The Red Cross Society of China is providing cash humanitarian aid of $200,000 each to the Turkish Red Crescent and the Syrian Red Crescent. The society said on Tuesday that it would send more humanitarian aid if needed.
The region lies on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. A similarly powerful earthquake in 1999 in northwest Turkey killed about 18,000 people.
(with inputs from agencies)
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