Turkey-Syria earthquake: Magnitude of devastation explained in 10 points

Western Asian countries like Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon suffered devastation on February 6 as a deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the area in the early hours of Monday. In addition to aftershocks, the enormous earthquake was followed by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake about nine hours later.

The reports state that the earthquake was so strong that Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt all experienced tremors. This deadly disaster has claimed the lives of up to 5000 people and injured thousands more. In 10 southern provinces, Turkish President Recep Erdogan officially declared a three-month state of emergency.

Syria's ambassador to India, Bassam Alkhatib, described the situation following the earthquake as "dangerous," noting that thousands of casualties had also been reported in the nation and that over 850 people had died. Syria has also been impacted by the Turkish earthquake with a Pazarcik district epicentre.

According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 3,549 people have now died as a result of Turkey's earthquakes. According to the Ministry of Health and the rescue group White Helmets, at least 1,602 people have died and about 3,500 have been injured in Syria.

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Key points you must know about Turkey-Syria earthquake

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a depth of 11 miles (18 kilometres) and was centred in southern Turkey, close to Syria's northern border. Since the initial earthquake, the two nations have experienced numerous aftershocks.

According to USGS research geologist Alex Hatem, the area had experienced 13 significant aftershocks with a magnitude of at least 5 in the first 11 hours. Nine hours after the initial jolt, Turkey was hit by a second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5. Scientists concurred that the two quakes are related even though they were examining whether that was an aftershock.

Turkey is located in an area of seismic activity. It's situated on the Anatolia tectonic plate, which is sandwiched between the Eurasian and African plates. The minor Arabian plate further limits movement on the north side. The North Anatolian fault (NAF) line, which connects the tectonic plates of Anatolia and Eurasia, is one fault line that is regarded as "particularly devastating." According to Scientific American magazine, the most recent earthquake charged a fault rupture that was relatively shallow (18 km below the earth's surface), intensifying surface motions.

Following the earthquake, thousands of buildings reportedly collapsed, according to officials. They included "pancake" collapses, in which the top floors of a building fall directly onto the lower floors, indicating that the structures were unable to withstand the shaking, according to USGS structural engineer Kishor Jaiswal. Freezing weather and traffic jams caused by people trying to leave earthquake-affected areas have hindered rescue efforts.

Local authorities reported that 10 more people died in Sanliurfa, which is close to Turkey's border with Syria, while five people died in the province of Osmaniye. In the province of Malatya, at least 130 buildings collapsed, and authorities found three bodies. Officials in the area reported that about 100 people had been taken to hospitals. Pro-government media in Syria reported that numerous buildings had partially wrecked in Hama. On Syria's west coast, close to Latakia, a building was reported to have also collapsed by state television.

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Another significant earthquake of magnitude 6.7 that significantly damaged the eastern part of Turkey struck Turkey in January 2020. Approximately 18,000 people were killed in 1999 when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck close to Istanbul. 

A meeting was held, and it was decided that the NDRF's search and rescue teams, medical teams, and relief supplies would be sent out right away in cooperation with the Turkish government, according to a statement issued by the Indian Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday.

On Tuesday, two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams totaling 101 individuals departed for Turkiye. Aside from two search dogs, four-wheeled vehicles, chipping hammers, cutting tools, first aid supplies, and communication equipment, the federal contingency force is also equipped with these items. Two Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 aircraft took off from the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad carrying the personnel, who were members of teams with bases in Ghaziabad and Kolkata.

As the extent of the disaster becomes more apparent, the rest of the world has moved quickly to offer aid to Turkey and Syria. Tuesday morning saw the arrival of aircraft carrying food, medicine, and blankets from Iran and Iraq at Damascus International Airport in Syria. In response to Japan's announcement, the first of two disaster relief teams with dog squads and medical supplies departed India for Turkey on Monday night. In addition, Pakistan has sent two search and rescue teams to the devastated nation, and Australia and New Zealand have pledged financial support for relief efforts.

While the United States declared it would send two relief and recovery units to Turkey, the European Union activated its crisis response system. In order to aid in rescue efforts, Palestinian civil defence and medical teams will also be sent to Turkey and Syria. Emergency response teams from the WHO's Emergency Medical Teams (EMT), the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) have been mobilised to Turkey to help with the relief efforts, according to UNOCHA.

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(With inputs from agencies)