More than 831 people have lost their lives for the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria overnight.
Turkey. At least 284 deadand at least 2,323 injured, in the Turkish provinces affected by the earthquake (Adana, Malatya, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Adiyaman, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Kahramanmaras) but the toll is destined to rise since the prefect of Kahramanmaras – one of the provinces affected – he said that it is not yet possible to figure out how many victims there are while the damage is huge.
Syria. At least 427 people lost their lives in northern Syria due to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit regions on the Turkish border during the night. This was announced by Turkish state TV Trt. There are at least 284 victims in southeastern Turkey where there was the epicenter and 2,323 injured, said Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay.
It rose to over 120 the death toll in rebel-controlled areas of Syria caused by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey last night. Earlier, a hospital told AFP news agency that the quake had killed at least eight people in northern areas controlled by pro-Turkish factions.
The Syrian civil protection NGO White Helmets (White Helmets) has declared a state of emergency in the north-east of the country and has launched an appeal to international humanitarian organizations to intervene with aid quickly. The earthquake occurred at 4:17 in the morning (2:17 Italian time) and had its epicenter near Gaziantep, a city in southeastern Turkey about fifty kilometers from the Syrian border. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake: in addition to homes, the Church of the Annunciation of Iskenderun, a Catholic cathedral dating back to the 19th century, almost completely collapsed. The castle of Gaziantep, a Roman-era structure built in the third century, has been reduced to a pile of rubble. Rescue operations continue, it is estimated that many people are still under the rubble and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is constantly informed about the situation.
The Civil Protection Department had initially issued an alert for a possible tsunami caused by the earthquake in Turkey but the alert was later revoked. The United States has given its willingness to send “any type of assistance” to Ankara while a team of 370 people has already been sent from Azerbaijan to help with the relief efforts. The earthquake was also felt in the central provinces of Turkey and also in Israel.
Putin, ready to provide assistance to Turkey – Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow is ready to provide all necessary assistance to Ankara following the powerful earthquake that has claimed many lives. The Kremlin, as Tass reports, quoted Putin’s condolence telegram to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “We are ready to provide the necessary assistance following the earthquake”.
Farnesina, for now no compatriots involved in the earthquake – At the moment, “no compatriots are injured or dead” in the areas hit by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. This was announced by sources from the Farnesina.
“Following the violent earthquake that hit the regions of southern Turkey and northern Syria last night at 4:17, the Crisis Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made contact with compatriots present in the country and is acting in close collaboration with the Italian diplomatic-consular representations in the area to verify the conditions of the Italian communities in the affected areas. At the moment there are no wounded or dead among compatriots”, specifies the Farnesina. “All Italians present in the areas affected for any reason, even temporarily, are requested to register on the “Where we are in the world” website and download the “Crisis Unit” APP for mobile phones, activating geolocation”.
Borrell, the EU is ready to help – “A devastating earthquake shook Turkey and Syria this morning, killing hundreds of people and injuring many more. Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria. The EU is ready to help” : the High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell writes it in a tweet.
Source: Ansa
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