New Delhi: A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey early Monday (February 6, 2023), toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 1,000 people. The quake centered north of the Turkish provincial capital of Gaziantep and major aftershocks continued to rattle the region. More than 1,000 people have so far been declared dead in 10 Turkish provinces, with some 7,000 injured, according to the country's disaster management agency.
Several buildings have been reduced to piles of pancaked floors with hundreds still believed to be trapped under rubble. The toll is likely to increase as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage in cities and towns across the area.
The region, notably, sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in a similarly powerful earthquake that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.
Meanwhile, a video on social media shows a building collapsing after a massive earthquake struck a central Turkey city.
Video shows a building collapse after a major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria https://t.co/fPQBcsA5Vc pic.twitter.com/wBc237UuPu
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
this is scary!!! pray for Turkey pic.twitter.com/FpaDFsYEwv
— Malik Ofori (@malikofori) February 6, 2023
The strong earthquake also heavily damaged Gaziantep's most famed landmark, its historic castle perched atop a hill in the center of the city.
Online footage showed parts of the fortresses' walls and watch towers were levelled and other parts heavily damaged.
The Gaziantep Castle, which was built more than 2,200 years ago, collapsed during the earthquake.#Turkey #TurkeyEarthquake #earthquake #BreakingNews #deprem #Syria pic.twitter.com/PtCVgCqA3Y
— NEWS ALL TIME (@NEWS_ALL_TIME) February 6, 2023
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that over 2,800 buildings had collapsed in Turkey.
He said he could not predict how much the death toll would rise as search and rescue efforts continued.
Drone footage showed rescuers in the Turkish city of Adana searching through the rubble of a collapsed building after a major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria https://t.co/qhP64Hpz5m pic.twitter.com/bKlC0lRGtE
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 6, 2023
"Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts although winter season, cold weather, and the earthquake happening during the night makes things more difficult," Erdogan said.
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