Earthquake

Close to 2,000 deaths have been reported in Türkiye and north-west Syria on 6 February as a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern Türkiye at 4:17 am. This is Türkiye’s most powerful earthquake recorded since 1939. At least 78 aftershocks have been reported followed by a second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude at 13:24 with the epicenter in Ekinozu/Kahramanmaras province. Tremors were reportedly felt in Gaziantep and neighboring provinces.

The Government of Türkiye has since issued a Level 4 alarm, calling for international assistance. The earthquake also heavily impacted north-west Syria, a region where 4.1 million people depend on humanitarian assistance today. The majority are women and children. At this time, Syrian communities are simultaneously hit with an on-going cholera outbreak and harsh winter events including heavy rain and snow over the weekend. The humanitarian response is largely overstretched with a funding gap of 48 per cent identified for the last quarter of 2022 (US$371.1 is required out of 802.1 million).