Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

A major earthquake occurred in Southern Turkey and the Syrian border on February 6th, 2023. Tens of thousands of citizens died, and many more were injured. This has been the most devastating earthquake since 200 years ago. 

According to a BBC News article, the earthquake occurred early in the morning and was classified as a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. Buildings near the fault line were seriously damaged. Dr. Carmen Solana, a reader in volcanology and risk communication at the University of Portsmouth said in the article that the resistance of the buildings in South Turkey and Syria is “unfortunately patchy”. 

Ninety major aftershocks occurred afterward, killing six people and injuring hundreds. The largest aftershock had a magnitude of 5.8. 

Senior Janani Pattabi felt horrible about what happened. “It’s really tragic. A lot of lives were lost, which is really unfortunate,” she said. “A lot of infrastructure was damaged and a lot of money has to go towards repairing that.” She understood that sudden tragedies like this that are out of human control are always hard to deal with since they aren’t predictable. 

Senior Emma Fahnestock also felt sad for the people in Turkey and Syria. “Obviously it’s crazy that a massive disaster like this can happen. There’s no way you can prepare for this, and it’s really sad,” she said. 

A second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 occurred near the Syrian border on February 21st. According to CNN, 140,000 buildings collapsed, and 900,000 people were in cars, tents, and containers for shelter. 130 people were injured in Northwest Syria. Survivors were treated in local hospitals. As of February 21st, 7,000 aftershocks have been recorded. Many people are still in terror. In Antakya in Turkey, three men were trapped after a building collapsed. Hundreds of rescuers worked to reach the men early in the morning. 

Pattabi and Fahnetock both believe that other countries should contribute in any way they can to help Turkey and Syria. “I definitely think if other countries have the money to spare we should help out because I don’t think it’s possible for Turkey to fix all of this themselves”, Pattabi said. “It’s just good to stay aware of these things, especially if it’s affected so many people.” Fahnestock says, “I think that taking donations for canned food or money, and providing resources, providing money for rebuilding, and staying updated on what help they might need would be great.”

Authorities have sent help and aid to Turkey, and rescuers and search for people in need are ongoing.