A Mw 7.8 earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, impacted northern and western Syria, and southern and central Turkey. This earthquake in Turkey was jointly the second-biggest recorded earthquake in the nation, behind the 1668 North Anatolia earthquake. And it was the strongest earthquake to hit Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake of a similar magnitude.
Moreover, it was among the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the Levant. Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Turkey’s Black Sea coast were all in its influence.
Around 10,000 aftershocks occurred in the following three weeks. And shallow strike-slip faulting led to the seismic pattern.
This earthquake in Turkey was jointly the second-biggest recorded earthquake in the nation
Consequences and assistances
There was significant devastation over a 350,000 km2 region, or 12 times the size of Belgium. An estimated 14 million individuals were impacted, representing 16% of Turkey’s population. According to UN development specialists, around 1.5 million individuals have become homeless.
According to statics, there was more than 52,700 deaths until 4 March 2023. In which, more than 45,900 in Turkey and more than 6,700 in Syria.
Since the earthquake at Antioch, Syria in 1822, and Turkey since Antioch, 526, this earthquake has killed the most people in both countries. It was the sixth worst global disaster of the twenty-first century and the deadliest since the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
The tragedy is the deadliest in contemporary Turkish history
According to estimates, the earthquake in Turkey was the fourth-costliest on record. It caused US$84.1 billion in losses in Turkey and US$5.1 billion in Syria. The tragedy is the deadliest in contemporary Turkish history.
The national disaster agency AFAD’s rescue and relief mission, which comprised a 60,000-strong search-and-rescue team, 5,000 health professionals, and 30,000 volunteers, has been impeded by damaged roads, winter storms, and interruption to communications.
In response to Turkey’s need for assistance, more over 141,000 volunteers from 94 different nations joined the rescue operation.
Anger at the government intensifies as the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey rises
The catastrophe has exposed long-standing urbanistic mismanagement and increased pressure on the AK Party, which is now in power.
Gencay Serter, president of the Chamber of Urban Planners, a powerful organization that has previously clashed with Erdogan and the AK Party, stated that the government’s failure to show a desire to bring the vulnerable building stock up to safety standards was the primary reason for the earthquake in Turkey’s extensive destruction.
After the implementation of another regulation in 2012 that addressed the transformation of disaster-prone areas, construction reached its climax.
Anger at the government intensifies as the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey rises
The new laws gave the government unprecedented authority to declare whole areas “at danger” and forcibly take property through eminent domain, despite the government’s pledge to use the legislation to demolish hazardous structures.
Also, the Turkish construction industry has long been plagued by claims of rampant corruption that endangers building safety.
According to Howard Eissenstat, an associate professor of Middle Eastern history at St. Lawrence University in New York, “cozy connections between construction businesses and the government” frequently prevent local governments from enforcing building laws.
According to the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, a building inspection system implemented in 2011 and in effect through 2019 was another aspect that led to a lack of adequate oversight. Contractors may select whatever inspection business they wished and pay the inspectors directly under this approach.
