The combined death toll in Turkey and in neighbouring northwest Syria following three major earthquakes, one after the other, rose to more than 4,000, according to an Associated Press report.
The magnitude 7.8 quake rippled through both countries early on Monday (February 6), toppling entire apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands more people injured or homeless.
As rescue operations continued, freezing winter weather hampered search efforts for survivors through the night. Temperatures fell close to freezing overnight, worsening conditions for people trapped under rubble or left homeless.
The earthquake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, was the biggest recorded worldwide by the US Geological Survey since a tremor in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021.
In disasters like the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and 7.5-magnitude aftershock that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6, 2023, international cooperation on satellite imaging plays a crucial role in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Such data enables humanitarian aid to better deliver water and food by mapping the condition of roads, bridges, buildings, and – most crucially – identifying populations trying to escape potential aftershocks by gathering in stadiums or other open spaces.
NDRF Search and Rescue Teams, specially trained dog squads, medical supplies, drilling machines and other equipment from India left for Turkey early today morning.
