Situational Analysis
At 4:17 am local time on February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck 23 miles northwest of Gaziantep, Türkiye, with tremors felt as far away as Lebanon and Israel. Less than 15 minutes later, a series of 60 aftershocks began, with the strongest equaling 7.5 on the magnitude scale occurring at 1:24 pm local time, just nine hours after the first earthquake began. This powerful aftershock struck 50 miles north of the epicenter of the earlier earthquake.
Hundreds of aftershocks were reported following the initial twin earthquakes, including significant quakes near Goksun, Golbasi, Adiyaman province, and Matalya provinces. After visiting the impacted areas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency for ten provinces in the southeastern region of Türkiye.
The earthquakes caused power outages, leveled buildings, and substantially damaged roadways and bridges. A significant winter storm in the west and northwest of the country exacerbated the deteriorating situation, creating travel disruptions and hampering relief efforts. Weather-related landslides created road closures, and a significant fire in the strategically important port of Iskenderun in Hatay province resulted in a complete halt in operations, with all scheduled shipments being diverted to other ports. Hatay Airport closed due to severe structural damage, and Gaziantep International Airport, Kahramanmaras Airport, and Sanliurfa GAP Airport are only open to flights carrying humanitarian aid.
Significant disruptions to essential water supplies, fuel, and electricity supplies are ongoing. Additionally, the communications infrastructure was severely impacted, impeding contact with people on the ground.
As of February 10, 2023, media sources report over 22,000 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries across Türkiye and Syria. The number of fatalities is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue among the rubble of cities, towns, and provinces in both countries.
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