Na Turkey, where the epicenter of the earthquake, at least 912 people died and almost 5.400 were injured, according to the latest report released by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At least 2.818 buildings collapsed in the quake, suggesting a much higher death toll.
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In the neighbor Syria, o earthquake caused at least 592 deaths: 371 people died, and 1.089 were injured in areas controlled by the government, while searches under the rubble are still ongoing, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health cited by the official SANA news agency.
The White Helmets, which operate in rebel-held areas of Syria, said there were at least 221 dead and 419 injured in those sectors.
The tremor was felt at 4:17 am (22:17 pm on Sunday, Brasília time) and occurred at a depth of 17,9 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
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The epicenter was located in the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey, about 60 km from the Syrian border.
A new 7,5 magnitude earthquake struck the region at 13:24 p.m. (7:24 a.m. EDT), four kilometers southeast of the city of Ekinozu, according to the USGS. There were also around 50 aftershocks, according to Ankara.
The earthquake's tremors were felt as far away as Greenland, according to the Danish Geological Institute.
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It is very likely that the toll will increase quickly, taking into account the number of collapsed buildings in the most affected cities, such as Adana, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Diayarbakir, in southeastern Turkey.
Due to the time of the earthquake, early in the morning, most people were sleeping in their homes.
“My sister and her three children are under the rubble. Also her husband, her father-in-law and her mother-in-law. Seven members of our family are under the rubble,” Muhittin Orakci told AFP, as he witnessed rescue operations in front of a ruined building in Diyarbakir.
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“His sister is still under the rubble,” said one woman, pointing to another inconsolable victim in the same city.
Airports blocked
For safety reasons, gas was cut off throughout the region, due to aftershocks that could generate explosions.
Iraqi Kurdistan said it will suspend oil exports through Turkey as a precaution.
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This is the biggest earthquake in Turkey since August 17, 1999, which caused 17.000 deaths, a thousand of them in Istanbul.
According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, at least three of the airports in the affected area, Hatay, Maras and Gaziantep, were closed to traffic. The snow and storms that hit the region impeded traffic at other airports, including Diyarbakir, AFP found.
“We heard voices here and there. We think maybe 200 people are among the rubble,” a rescue team in Diyarbakir said, according to an NTV broadcast.
Some images on Turkish television and social media show frightened people in pajamas wandering through the snow as they watch rescuers sift through the rubble of their homes.
Meanwhile, Syrian state television reported the collapse of a building near Latakia, on the country's west coast.
Pro-government media reported that several buildings partially collapsed in Hama, central Syria, where firefighters and rescuers were trying to rescue a survivor from the wreckage.
The head of Syria's National Seismic Monitoring Center, Raed Ahmed, told official radio that this was, "historically, the largest earthquake ever recorded."
The earthquake provoked scenes of panic. Many residents took to the streets, despite the torrential rain.
The White Helmets said the situation was “catastrophic” and called on international humanitarian organizations to “intervene quickly” to help the local population.
International aid
The Turkish president, whose handling of this tragedy will weigh heavily in the disputed May 14 elections, called for national unity.
“We hope to emerge from this catastrophe together, as quickly as possible and with as little damage as possible,” he tweeted.
The European Union (EU) and many of its member countries announced the sending of aid and rescue teams. The same was done by the United States, Israel, India and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the Turkish and Syrian leaders and offered to “provide the necessary assistance” from Russia in the wake of this tragedy.
Azerbaijan, a country close to Turkey, announced the immediate dispatch of 370 rescuers, according to the official Turkish news agency.
A Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world.
Experts have long warned that a major earthquake could devastate Istanbul, which has allowed widespread construction without precautions.
A 6,8 magnitude earthquake struck Elazig in January 2020, killing more than 40 people. In October of that same year, another magnitude 7,0 shook the Aegean Sea, leaving 114 dead and more than 1.000 injured.
(To AFP)
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