Thousands of people are reported dead in Turkey and Syria following two earthquakes that rocked the region on Monday.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck shortly after 4 am was one of the strongest to hit Turkey over the last hundred years, leading to scores of buildings and homes being flattened into rubble. Later in the afternoon, a 7.5-magnitude shaker hit the southeastern part of the country.
More than 2,300 people reportedly died after the quakes rocked the region, sending tremors as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted the affected population resides in structures that are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking. The report said that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread.”
According to the USGS’s early estimates, there is a 47% chance of that the earthquake will have killed between 1,000 to 10,000 people and a 20% chance of that the earthquake could have killed between 10,000 and 100,000.
One of the most stunning scenes filmed in the aftermath was a fire that reportedly broke out at a gas line.
Merkez üssü Kahramanmaraş’ın Pazarcık ilçesi olan 7.4 büyüklüğünde deprem sonrası yangın çıktıhttps://t.co/nXOxjTD6Uo pic.twitter.com/3VqsgGyrZX
— Sözcü (@gazetesozcu) February 6, 2023
The City of İskenderun in Southern Turkey has suffered some of the most Severe Damage caused by the Earthquake, there are reports that Fire and Rescue Crews are unable to get to many parts of the City with 100s if not 1000s of people expected to still be under collapsed buildings pic.twitter.com/kMV2hgEBXZ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 6, 2023
In #Sanliurfa the moment a building collapsed recorded by mobile phone hours after 7.8 #earthquake hits Turkey. #deprem pic.twitter.com/YDc8DH9lbn
— JournoTurk (@journoturk) February 6, 2023
Horrifying footages emerge from towns around #Gaziantep, #Turkey. Lights in the sky and power outages. pic.twitter.com/kgkpyTX6Jy
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) February 6, 2023
WATCH: Daylight reveals massive destruction in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey pic.twitter.com/YZD1J4iYfc
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 6, 2023
The Biden administration responded to the situation by saying that it would provide support to the region.
“The United States is profoundly concerned by the reports of today’s destructive earthquake in Turkiye and Syria,” said national security adviser Jake Sullivan. “We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance. President Biden has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the Government of Turkiye.”
Editor’s note: this article has been expanded with updated information.