Turkey, Syria earthquake: initial death toll, cracks in Gaziantep Citadel, and oil and gas pumping stopped
Monday, February 06, 2023Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed today, Monday, that the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 912, and 5,383 people have been injured. Turkish Vice President Fuad Oktay also confirmed the collapse of more than "1,700 buildings as a result of the earthquake."
Oktay said in a statement to reporters that schools and university dormitories were not damaged, while schools were suspended in 10 states for a week due to the earthquake.
The Turkish representative added that 102 mobile broadcasting stations for mobile phones were sent and operated to the areas affected by the earthquake, adding that Hatay Airport was closed and civil aviation traffic was stopped in the states of KahramanmaraÅŸ and Gaziantep, and Adana Airport was closed to flights until further notice.
Oktay indicated that the concerned authorities had "stopped the supply of natural gas to many areas" because of the earthquake, pointing out that "the aid will be coordinated under the supervision of the Turkish Emergency and Natural Disasters Administration and distributed to those affected by the earthquake."
Oktay stated that the earthquake affected large areas in Turkey and abroad, indicating that the specialized teams began search and rescue work from the first moments.
He stated that many Turkish ministers had moved to the areas affected by the earthquake to continue the search and rescue work.
Oktay called on citizens not to use their cars and roam the streets in order to keep the roads passable for the movement of cadres supervising rescue operations and ambulances.
Regarding the details of deaths and injuries as a preliminary outcome, Oktay said: "We have 70 deaths and 200 injuries in KahramanmaraÅŸ, 4 deaths and 7 injuries in Hatay, and 20 deaths and 200 injuries in Osmaniye."
He continued: "13 deaths and 22 injuries in Adiyaman, 14 deaths and 226 injuries in Diyarbakir, 18 deaths and 200 injuries in Sanliurfa, 80 deaths and 600 injuries in Gaziantep, 10 deaths and 118 injuries in Adana, and 47 deaths and 550 injuries in Malatya."
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Syria was affected by the devastating earthquake that shook several provinces in southern Turkey today, Monday, with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale.
Al-Mayadeen correspondent reported that the total number of earthquake victims rose to more than 592 people in various Syrian governorates, while Sarmada was classified as a disaster area.
According to the latest toll announced by the Syrian Ministry of Health, the death toll from the earthquake rose to 371 deaths and 1,089 injuries, most of them in Latakia, Aleppo, Hama and Tartous, stressing that this outcome is not final.
According to the Ministry, readiness has been raised in hospital ambulance departments in all governorates, and response teams that transfer injuries to hospitals have been mobilized, pointing out that the general emergency plan and the supply plan for supplies and medicines have been implemented to supply the affected places with them.
27 ambulances and 7 mobile clinics were sent from Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Quneitra, Homs and Tartous as support to Aleppo and Lattakia, while 4 truckloads of medicines and surgical and first aid supplies were sent to Aleppo, Lattakia and Hama.
According to the Director General of the National Center for Seismology, Raed Ahmed, the most affected areas are those near the epicenter of the earthquake in Idlib, Latakia, and Aleppo, stressing that the earthquake is the strongest during the investment lifetime of the national seismic network in Syria, that is, since 1995.
According to Ahmed, aftershocks have occurred and will occur successively, but they are much weaker than the strength of the earthquake that occurred, explaining that the state of seismic instability will continue, but with tremors that are weaker in impact and within the limits of 5 degrees.
The Director General of the National Center for Seismology confirmed that the buildings will be damaged and affected by the earthquakes, according to the response of their building structure and its resistance to earthquakes.
150 deaths in Aleppo and its countryside
Al-Mayadeen correspondent reported that there were more than 50 victims in Aleppo as a preliminary outcome of the devastating earthquake, explaining that the number of rescue teams in Aleppo is very few, and the capabilities are weak as a result of the war and the siege on Syria.
Al-Mayadeen correspondent indicated that more than 50 buildings were destroyed in Aleppo as a result of the earthquake.
The collapse of more than 60 buildings in Lattakia
Likewise, Al-Mayadeen correspondent in Lattakia reported that at least 80 people died, and 300 others were injured in a preliminary outcome as a result of the earthquake that struck the province, which led to the collapse of more than 60 buildings completely and partially, and cracks in hundreds of homes, with the continuation of the work of removing rubble in areas many in the province.
The earthquake, which measured 7.8 degrees on the "Richter" scale, caused the complete collapse of 21 buildings in the streets of Rumaila, Ghazalat and Rumaila in the city of Jableh, which led to the death of more than 30 people and about 200 injuries, as the mechanisms of civil defense, firefighting and the rest of the government sectors work to remove the rubble. Under difficult weather conditions, to get out the trapped under it.
A number of buildings collapsed on Damsarkho Highway, Al-Raml Al-Janoubi, and some floors in Al-Azhari and Al-Awaina roundabouts in Lattakia. Significant damage and cracks occurred in dozens of homes in the city, which led to the death of a number of its residents and the injury of others.
Likewise, the collapse of a number of houses over the heads of their occupants was recorded in the villages of Video, Bustan Al-Basha, Satamo and Al-Haffah, and a number of deaths and injuries were recorded, in addition to the removal of a number of survivors from under the rubble, while continuing the work of removing the rubble and evacuating some buildings from their residents after cracks occurred in them. by the earthquake.
The Lattakia governorate has urgently secured shelters for residents whose homes were damaged by the earthquake, and provided urgent relief and food assistance to those affected.
Tens of thousands of residents rushed to evacuate their homes after the earthquake occurred in Lattakia Governorate, as streets, squares, and public roads were crowded with people from Monday night until the morning hours, for fear of aftershocks that had followed after the severe earthquake, with all medical staff on alert to transport the dead and wounded to hospitals.
The collapse of an entire neighborhood in the Syrian countryside of Idlib as a result of the earthquake
Video footage captured by a drone showed the extent of the destruction in an area belonging to the Syrian governorate of Idlib, as a result of a strong earthquake that struck at dawn today, Monday, the regions of southern Turkey and northern Syria, leaving hundreds dead and injured, and was felt by a number of countries in the region.
A distress call from the Red Crescent
The Secretary-General of the Syrian Red Crescent, Khaled Ircsous, confirmed that there is a severe shortage of medicines and fuel needed to operate hospitals in light of the catastrophe of the earthquake that hit the country.
Ircouss indicated that the Red Crescent teams are still working to recover bodies from under the rubble, stressing that "we see injured people under the rubble, but we cannot reach them due to the lack of equipment."
Earthquake damage affects Syrian archaeological sites
The Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums stated that initial reports received from some governorates indicated that damage had occurred to some archaeological sites as a result of the earthquake at dawn on Monday.
And the Directorate stated, in a statement, that "Aleppo Citadel suffered minor and moderate damages, including the fall of parts of the Ottoman mill, and the occurrence of cracks and cracks and the fall of parts of the northeastern defensive walls, and large parts of the dome of the Ayyubid mosque minaret fell, and the entrances to the castle were damaged, and parts fell of stones, including the entrance to the Mamluk defensive tower, and the facade of the Ottoman hospice was damaged.
The statement stated that some of the museum artifacts inside the display storage were damaged, and cracks and cracks appeared on the facade of the National Museum in Aleppo.
According to the statement, the historic neighborhood of Aqaba, adjacent to the city's western wall, was damaged and collapsed, and it is not far from Bab Antioch. The same applies to the historic Al-Jalloum neighborhood, where severe damage occurred, including the fall of dip ceilings, walls, and parts of facades.
Arab and international solidarity with the victims of Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed to his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, his country's readiness to provide the necessary assistance to overcome the effects of the earthquake that struck Syria at dawn today.
In his telegram, Putin offered his sincere condolences to the victims of the earthquake, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
In turn, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during a phone call with President Assad, confirmed his country's stand with Syria and its solidarity with it as a result of the devastating earthquake, and offered sincere condolences for the hundreds of victims who fell, stressing that his country is fully prepared to help the Syrian people overcome the effects of this disaster.
Likewise, the Sultanate of Oman expressed, in an official statement, its solidarity with both Turkey and Syria, and extended its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of the devastating earthquake that occurred in southern Turkey, and to the Turkish and Syrian peoples, and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
Algeria extended its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the governments and peoples of Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake that struck the two countries, and left heavy losses in lives, property and infrastructure, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national community abroad.
Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiyah, announced in a statement: "We made quick and successive contacts with the Syrian Ministers of Transport and Health, conveying to them our condolences on behalf of the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Council of Ministers, and stressing that Lebanon is a state and people fully prepared to provide all possible assistance." And within the available capabilities, in everything that the Syrian state requires to face the repercussions of the earthquake that struck last night in the north of it, and other regions and countries as well.