Kahramanmaras Earthquake
Turkey and Syria struck by devastating earthquake
As a majority of people may already be aware, the countries of Turkey and Syria have been heavily affected by a devastating earthquake, known as the Kahramanmaras earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. As the death toll continues to rise it is becoming increasingly important for the international community to act at a fast pace in order to aid and equip the affected nations accordingly in order to deal with such an impactful and consequential natural disaster. After passing the 36-hour mark since the initial occurrence of the earthquake and its associated destruction, the states in concern have amassed a combination of 5,200 (Sky news, 2023) deaths and rescuers are working tirelessly and efficiently in order to free any people that may be trapped amongst the ruins.
It has been reported by various hazard relief agencies that an innumerable amount of people will need to be relocated, keeping in mind the fact that they must not be moved into areas that are prone to other types of natural crises. Countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and Greece have since committed to providing humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria, for example, with pledges to send “a team of 76 search and rescue specialists and rescue dogs to Turkey” (TIME, 2023).
If you are interested in finding out more in detail about this tragic disaster please visit news outlets such as Sky News, BBC News, The Guardian and The Independent for more information. The links for these media outlets can be found below.
Also, if you are wondering if there is anything you may do to help those in need who have been affected by the disaster, please visit the TIME article page where you will find a list of humanitarian organisations that you are able to send donations to as well as a synopsis of the purposes of the various organisations, detailing exactly what efforts are being made to provide a foreseeable solution and plan of action in response to this devastating crisis.
More information and news pages:
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/64533954
- https://news.sky.com/story/turkey-syria-earthquake-latest-updates-rescue-operation-as-thousands-confirmed-dead-12804459
- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-syria-earthquake-map-deaths-fault-lines-latest-b2277048.html
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/feb/07/turkey-earthquake-syria-in-turkiye-2023-live-updates-latest-news-map-magnitude-7-8-scale-quake-tremor-death-toll-gaziantep-kahramanmaras
Link for list of humanitarian organisations: