According NBS News
Early morning 7.8-magnitude quake was Turkey’s largest disaster since 1939, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
War-ravaged Syria must also deal with its consequences, threatening a new humanitarian crisis.
Latest on quakes that hit beleaguered region
A second 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey after the 7.8 temblor earlier Monday.
The quakes have claimed more than 3,700 lives in Turkey and northern Syria, and the toll is expected to rise on both sides of the border.
The early-morning 7.8-magnitude temblor was centered about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital in Turkey.
The first quake was Turkey’s largest disaster since 1939, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The death toll in the massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria rose to 4000, according to officials in both countries.
In Turkey, at least 2,316 people were killed and 13,293 injured, with 6,217 buildings collapsed, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority. Some 7,840 people have been rescued from the rubble.
In Syria, at least 656 people were killed with another 1,419 injured in affected areas, according to the Syrian Health Ministry. Some 700 people have died and 2,000 were injured in Syria’s rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.
Families who had so far managed to survive Syria’s decadelong civil war saw their already-battered homes come crashing down around them Monday.
Biden stands ready to offer ‘any and all’ assistance to NATO ally
U.S. President Joe Biden offered “any and all needed assistance” to Turkey in a call to Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, according to a White House summary of the conversation.
“He noted that U.S. teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,” the White House said.
The U.S. president also offered Erdogan his condolences on behalf of the American people.
Iraq, Qatar and Israel join relief effort
Iraq, Qatar and Israel offered aid in the form of supplies and personnel to earthquake victims Monday.
Israel pledged to deploy a military aid mission consisting of 150 people to Turkey. The military staff will include search and rescue teams and medics.
Iraq’s government said it would send search and rescue teams, first aid kits, fuel, tents, food, and water to both Syria and Turkey. Volunteers with Turkish visas have committed to travel as part of the relief efforts and a group of trucks supervised by the Iraqi Red Crescent has already reached the Turkish border, the government said.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted Monday that it is sending 10,000 mobile residences to both countries as part of its relief support.
Aftershocks as strong as Turkey’s 7.5-magnitude tremor are rare
The 7.5-magnitude tremor that struck Turkey on Monday after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake was an unusually strong aftershock, according to seismologists.
Aftershocks are typically about 1.2 magnitude units lower than the original quake, a statistical theory shows. But the jolt that hit Turkey just over nine hours after the initial earthquake was only 0.3 units smaller.
Seismologists said the 7.5-magnitude shake that came after the first quake qualified as an aftershock because it met aftershock classifications: It occurred within one fault line of the initial quake and was smaller in magnitude.
What will happen next is hard to predict. Dara Goldberg, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said many smaller aftershocks are still likely.
What will happen next is hard to predict. Dara Goldberg, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said many smaller aftershocks are still likely.
“As we start to see how this aftershock sequence shapes up, we’ll have better estimates of how long and how productive we expect this sequence to be,” Goldberg said. “But unfortunately, the reality is that there will certainly be aftershocks, and hopefully they don’t significantly hinder rescue efforts.”
UNICEF working to offer victims ‘psychological support, comfort, warmth’
James Elder, spokesman for UNICEF, said Monday that the aid group was mobilizing to provide earthquake victims with essentials.
In an interview with CNN, Elder said that there is an “enormous amount” to be done as resources are already overstretched in the region with freezing temperatures and a cholera outbreak.
The sudden and unexpected nature of an earthquake leaves families with little time to pack what they need, he added.
“You have a second to decide, and of course there is nothing to grab but your child,” Elder said. “And then they flee outside to nothing, to dust and to devastation, to screams from neighbors, so psychological support, comfort, warmth are absolutely essential.”
Syria’s U.N. ambassador requests humanitarian aid in meeting with U.N. secretary-general
Ambassador Bassam al-Sabbagh requested a mobilization of United Nations efforts and aid in the provision of health services, shelters and food supply across Syrian cities in a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The secretary”We are requesting help from the U.N. members and from the United Nations Secretariat to help Syria in this devastating catastrophic situations, taking into consideration also that Syria had suffered a lot during the last 10 years,” al-Sabbagh said.-general expressed his condolences and solidarity with the people in the government of Syria,” al-Sabbagh said during a news conference.
