Earthquake death toll rises - 15th February 2023

In the early morning hours of February 6th, a powerful earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria. Deemed a major earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, the quake's the strongest in the region for over two centuries. Although there have only been two earthquakes of this magnitude worldwide in the last decade, even an aftershock that occurred a few hours later measured 7.4 in magnitude.

The timing of the earthquake, at 4:17 am, caught many asleep and off-guard, which led to scores of people being trapped as buildings collapsed. In Turkey, fingers are being pointed at the poor quality construction as a main contributor to the high level of destruction, resulting in arrest warrants being issued for 133 developers and contractors involved in their design and construction.

International rescue workers, equipped with specially trained dogs and advanced equipment, have flocked to the area to assist with search and rescue efforts. Despite the passage of a week since the earthquake, rescue operations have managed to successfully locate people, including a 7 month old baby under the rubble. Nevertheless, with the fatalities already exceeding 36,000 people there's mounting fear the number of casualties could double.

Leaving tens of thousands more injured, the quake has rocked the lives of 25 million people across the region. An already war-torn northwestern Syria, ravaged by a decade-long civil war, has seen a delay in aid arriving, as approval from Syrian authorities is required to enter the area. Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland has urged all parties involved to put people first.