Türkiye-Syria earthquakes 2023

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Temporary tents raised for the 2023 earthquake survivors in Turkiye
Midary/Shutterstock

On 6 February 2023, two earthquakes struck southern and central Türkiye, and northern and western Syria. The first had a magnitude of Mw 7.8 and the second of Mw 7.7.

In Türkiye, there were at least 31,974 deaths (as of 14 February 2023) and 80,278 injured across the ten most affected provinces. At least 13.5 million people and 4 million buildings have been affected. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change conducted damage inspections for 763,000 buildings; at least 41,791 buildings in 10 Turkish provinces were heavily damaged or destroyed, leaving about 150,000 people homeless.

The economic losses are likely to surpass $20bn, according to Verisk (FT, 14 February 2023).

In Syria, at least 5,714 people were killed, and over 14,500 were injured (as of 13 February 2023). It was estimated that up to 5.37 million people across Syria might have been made homeless, while a total of 10.9 million people, nearly half of the country's population, were affected.

City has 15 million people and thousands of buildings that aren't ready
CBC/Radio-Canada
Yellow building collapsed after an earthquake.
The earthquakes that struck in Turkey and Syria in the early hours of February 6 have led to terrible destruction on a scale not seen in Europe for many decades. At the time of writing, the death toll has risen beyond 11,000 people.
Conversation Media Group, the
Collapsed building due to the Turkey-Syria 2023 earthquakes
A pair of huge earthquakes have struck in Turkey, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and unknown numbers injured or displaced. The first quake, near Gaziantep close to the Syrian border, measured 7.8 in magnitude and was felt as far away as the UK.
Conversation Media Group, the
A quake as strong as magnitude 8.2 is possible on the southern San Andreas fault and would bring disaster to all of Southern California simultaneously, with the fault rupturing from near the Mexican border to Monterey County.
Los Angeles Times
The death toll of the massive earthquakes that have rocked the Turkey-Syria border region has now exceeded 5,000 people and the World Health Organization has suggested it could rise as high as 20,000.
Conversation Media Group, the
The 2011 Van earthquakes occurred in eastern Turkey near the city of Van.
An extremely large earthquake has occurred in the southeast of Turkey, near the border with Syria. Data from seismometers which measure shaking of the ground caused by earthquake waves suggest that this event was a 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale.
Conversation Media Group, the
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi to assess Israel’s preparedness for an earthquake in the wake of the deadly temblor that hit Turkey and Syria.
Times of Israel, the