Turkey Earthquake Update : A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey on Tuesday, only hours after three devastating earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, leaving a death toll of over 4,000 people. Thousands more have been injured and the search for survivors continues. The world has come together to offer support, with countries including India sending in supplies and relief teams.
The Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) sent search and rescue teams, medical supplies, drilling machines, and specially trained dog squads to Adana, Turkey on Tuesday morning, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the Turkey earthquake-hit country.
In Syria, the head of the White Helmets, Raed al-Saleh, has called for urgent help from international groups for the rescue effort in the rebel-held northwest region where hundreds have been killed and injured.
“Every second counts in saving lives and we call on all humanitarian organizations to provide material aid and respond to this catastrophe with urgency,” al-Saleh stated.
Turkey Earthquake Casualties
In Turkey, nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 destroyed buildings and the death toll continues to rise. The country’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has declared seven days of national mourning.
Turkey earthquake disaster joins a growing list of the world’s deadliest earthquakes since 2010, including the magnitude 7.0 quake in Haiti that killed 316,000 people according to government estimates, the magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan that killed nearly 20,000 people, and the magnitude 7.8 quake in Nepal that resulted in the deaths of over 8,800 people.
As the world mourns the loss of life and offers support to those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the focus remains on the search for survivors and the provision of aid to those in need.