The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

More than 11,000 people died: That's why the earthquake in Turkey and Syria was so deadly

2023-02-09T15:11:15.195Z


An earthquake with devastating consequences: More than 11,000 people die as a result of the natural disaster. Researchers show why it was so deadly.


An earthquake with devastating consequences: More than 11,000 people die as a result of the natural disaster.

Researchers show why it was so deadly.

Gaziantep - On Monday morning (February 6), a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the border region between Turkey and Syria.

As a result, at least 11,000 people died and more than 23,000 people were injured – the search for those buried is still ongoing, reports fr.de.

The background of the earthquake is the contact of two continental plates: the Arabian plate and the Anatolian plate.

If too much energy accumulates due to friction between the plates, the earth can tremble, sometimes violently.

In the border region between Turkey and Syria, earthquakes occur again and again, often much weaker than the strength mentioned at the beginning.

The last earthquake of this magnitude occurred on the East Anatolian Fault, as the area is known, in 1893. For the German Research Center for Geosciences, it was therefore only "a matter of time" before the next earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 or 7.8 .

"The entire zone has [...] built up tensions over this long period of time," it said in a statement.

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria claims thousands of lives

According to Joanna Faure Walker, director of the UK's UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, the magnitude of the earthquake ensured that a very large area was shaken.

However, there is another aspect behind the high death toll.

According to the Turkish civil protection authority, the earthquake brought down more than 5,700 buildings in the border region.

Many of the thousands of victims were buried underneath.

"Following the recent event, it will be important to verify that all buildings constructed since then have complied with this," Walker said, according to a statement from the Science Media Center.

+

A picture of destruction: The earthquake in Turkey and Syria claimed thousands of victims.

© Serdar Ozsoy / Depo Photos / Imago Images

Mohammad Kashani, professor of civil and seismic engineering at the University of Southampton, said there was reasonable suspicion of building code deficiencies: "The photos show that some of the collapsed buildings may have been built before the introduction of modern seismic standards and therefore not for a are designed and suitable for earthquakes of this magnitude.” Compared to the damage on the Turkish side, the civil war in Syria could have been the main reason for the bad condition of the buildings.

Criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now stirring: The reason for this is that numerous earthquake taxpayers' money apparently never arrived and was possibly misappropriated.

These were collected after a devastating earthquake in 1999.

Erdogan has now declared a so-called state of emergency in several provinces in Turkey.

This could have consequences for the upcoming elections in the country.

Regardless of the political dimension, the danger in the region remains high.

"The magnitude of the aftershocks, which may be fading but could persist for days, poses a risk that buildings already weakened by previous tremors will collapse," said David Rothery, professor of planetary geosciences at Britain's Open University the Science Media Center.

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Pictures show the extent of the destruction

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Pictures show the extent of the destruction

Many states have pledged aid to Turkey and Syria.

International rescue missions are underway.

But many people are still missing.

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Donations - How you can help those affected

  • German Red Cross:


    Donation account: DE63 3702 0500 0005 0233 07


    Keyword: emergency aid earthquake Turkey and Syria



    The international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world's largest humanitarian organization.

    They provide help for people in conflict situations, disasters and health emergencies.

  • Doctors of the World eV:


    Donation account: DE06 1203 0000 1004 3336 60


    Keyword: emergency aid Turkey/Syria



    Doctors of the World eV belongs to the international humanitarian organization Médecins du Monde.

    They support worldwide with medical help and political work.

  • UNICEF:


    Donation account: DE57 3702 0500 0000 3000 00


    Keyword: Earthquake Turkey/Syria



    UNICEF is the children's network of the United Nations and provides humanitarian aid in 190 countries around the world.

  • UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe eV:


    Donation account: DE78 3705 0198 0020 0088 50


    Keyword: Earthquake



    The German partner of the United Nations refugee agency provides immediate humanitarian aid and is now taking care of the care of Syrian refugees.

  • Aktion Deutschland Hilft:


    Donation account: DE62 3702 0500 0000 1020 30


    Keyword: Earthquake Turkey and Syria



    Aktion Deutschland Hilft is an association of German aid organizations.

    Including the Jahanniter accident help and the Malteser help service.

    They provide humanitarian aid in the event of disasters and emergencies.

  • Alliance Development Helps:


    Donation account: DE29 100 20 5000 100 20 5000


    Keyword: Earthquake Turkey/Syria



    Alliance Development Helps is an association of eleven German aid organizations.

    These include Bread for the World and Kindernothilfe.

    They provide long-term support in disaster areas.

  • Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe


    Donation account: DE68520604100000502502


    Keyword: Earthquake Aid Turkey Syria



    Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is the humanitarian aid organization of the Protestant Church.

    They support victims of natural disasters, war and displacement.

  • Caritas International


    Donation Account: DE88 6602 0500 0202 0202 02


    Keyword: emergency aid after the earthquake in Turkey/Syria



    The German Caritas relief organization provides emergency aid in crisis and disaster areas.

    They support particularly vulnerable people.

  • Humedica: Donation


    account: DE35 7345 0000 0000 0047 47


    Keyword: Earthquake Turkey



    Humedica implement international aid for people in disaster areas.

    They send medical forces to Turkey.

(do with dpa/AFP)

List of rubrics: © Serdar Ozsoy / Depo Photos / Imago Images

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-02-09

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T05:25:00.011Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.