At 04:25:57 (UTC 05:30), the earthquake hits Afsin, Turkey at a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at 38.078°N and 36.7622°E, according to the USGS.

This occurred approximately two months after a much more devastating earthquake devastated the same region. The tremor was preceded by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck 11 Turkish provinces, including Malatya, on February 6, 2023.

The quake on February 6 caused more than 48,000 deaths in both Turkey and Syria, as well as the collapse or severe devastation of 173,000 buildings in Turkey. Since then, the region has experienced nearly 10,000 aftershocks, making it hazardous for people to enter damaged structures.

In one of the world’s most active seismic zones, the earthquake struck densely populated areas as people slept in homes that were not designed to withstand such intense tremors.

The disaster has placed pressure on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the slow response to the earthquake and why his government permitted the construction of such low-quality structures.

After a 1999 earthquake in northwestern Turkey killed more than 17,000 people, Turkish officials pledged to strengthen building regulations.

According to media reports, more than 84,000 buildings collapsed, require immediate demolition, or were gravely damaged in the February 6 earthquake.

Dozens of contractors have been arrested as the government vows to clamp down on lax building standards.

Antakya, an ancient crossroads of civilizations, was one of the areas that incurred the most damage in Turkey’s earthquake.

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The city has experienced numerous earthquakes — nearly one every 100 years — and is accustomed to reconstruction.

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After the deadliest earthquake in modern Turkish history, the country must dispose of hundreds of millions of tonnes of potentially hazardous debris.

The February 6 earthquake and aftershocks caused at least 156,000 buildings to collapse or become so severely damaged that they must be demolished, according to Turkish authorities. Entire sections of cities were reduced to fractured concrete and steel.

The UN Development Program (UNDP) estimates that the resulting 116- 210 million tonnes of rubble would cover an area of 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) if piled 1 metre high. Approximately the size of Barcelona.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is likely to face an election on 14 May, has committed to rebuild homes within a year, although experts have cautioned that safety should come first.

An official stated that for certain initiatives, tenders and contracts had already been awarded and safety would not be compromised.

In a number of cities, rescue teams have been supplanted by tens of thousands of trucks and excavators that are chipping away at the concrete mountains. According to workers in the city of Antakya, Hatay province, it can take several days to clear one building of detritus.

“The magnitude of the challenge is nearly incomprehensible,” said Louisa Vinton, UNDP Resident Representative. According to the UNDP, the catastrophe generated at least ten times as much rubble as the 1999 Turkish earthquake.

Much of the debris that has been removed thus far has been stored in nearby temporary landfills, raising contamination concerns. Several experts told Reuters that there is concern that older building materials may contain asbestos, a cancer-causing fibre outlawed in many countries, including Turkey.

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In a tweet, Deputy Environment Minister Mehmet Emin Birpinar stated that dust suppression systems were being used to prevent the spread of hazardous substances such as asbestos.

In cities such as Antakya and Osmaniye, journalists from Reuters observed some water vehicles hosing down debris as it was loaded onto trucks, but in many other instances, no such measures were taken. Birpinar could not be reached promptly for comment.

ENVIRONMENTAL WARNINGS

According to three individuals who work directly in the rubble removal industry in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, proximity and convenience are the primary considerations when locating dump sites.

However, Ahmet Kahraman, the chairman of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, stated that geological and environmental specialists must conduct a “detailed analysis” of where debris is stored.

Some environmental activists and opposition politicians warn that improper debris removal could result in an ecological catastrophe. At least one of the locations visited by Reuters was a forest.

Gokhan Gunaydin of the opposition CHP party stated, “Dumping debris in the city, olive groves, and stream beds without decomposing and recycling it causes new environmental calamities.”

Friday night, Birpinar announced on Twitter that the areas chosen for debris disposal in Hatay were remote from agricultural and residential areas, as well as wetlands and protected areas.

He added that 19 temporary sites with a total area of 200 football fields had been identified in Hatay and that 150,000 cubic metres of rubble were being transported per day.

This week, hundreds of vehicles carrying rubble drove into the hills east of Antakya, unloading it in areas surrounded by verdant vegetation and olive trees.

The 51-year-old owner of a pavement brick and cement block factory, Altan Arslan, stated that he had donated his land to the government for use as a debris dump following the earthquake.

According to him, tens of thousands of trucks arrived daily, and the pile of debris grew into an enormous mound. The refuse was then levelled and pushed towards a cliff face by bulldozers, sending some debris tumbling into the valley and creating dense clouds of dust.

“We may need a few more fields like this because the devastation is so extensive,” Arslan said as excavators discarded shattered concrete near new cement blocks in his yard.

He added that locals were too traumatised immediately after the earthquake to be concerned about where the debris was being dumped.

His factory contributed to the development of Antakya, but the land on which it stood is now the city’s cemetery.

“We were ecstatic while building this metropolis, but seeing it crumble like this is heartbreaking.” He placed his hand to his face and wept.

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The 6.4-magnitude quake on Monday was felt in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. It was centered near the southern Turkish city of Antakya. It struck at a profundity of 10 km (6.2 miles), the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said.

According to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, the earthquake on Monday evening left 294 people injured, 18 of whom were seriously injured and transported to Adana and Dortyol hospitals.

On Twitter, Turkey’s disaster management agency said that three minutes later, another 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the Hatay district of Samandag.

The region is still reeling from two devastating earthquakes that occurred earlier this month, and the new tremors occur as a result. As rescue workers search for collapsed structures, it is anticipated that the death toll will continue to rise, reaching 41,000 in Turkey and thousands more in Syria.

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Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon were all affected by Monday’s earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.4 and was centred close to the city of Antakya in southern Turkey.

According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), it happened at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

Hatay Mayor Lutfu Savas said the HaberTurk broadcaster that he has heard stories of some individuals being trapped under debris during the most recent earthquake. According to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, there were three fatalities and over 200 injuries.

Residents in Samandag reported more houses collapsing although the majority of the population had already fled following the initial tremors, according to the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority AFAD, which recorded one person killed there. The streets were dark and deserted, surrounded with piles of trash and furniture.

Muna Al Omar claimed that as the ground began to tremble once more, she was in a tent in a park in the heart of Antakya.

While sobbing and clutching her 7-year-old son in her arms, she added, “I felt the earth was going to break up under my feet.

At a time when rescue efforts following the earthquake and its aftershocks on February 6 were winding down and attention was shifting to the urgent need for shelter and reconstruction work, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier pledged that Washington would assist “for as long as it takes” while on a visit to Turkey.

The number of fatalities from the earthquakes two weeks ago in Turkey increased to 41,156, according to AFAD on Monday. With 385,000 apartments reportedly destroyed or seriously damaged and numerous people still unaccounted for, the death toll was expected to rise.

Construction on roughly 200,000 apartments in 11 earthquake-stricken areas of Turkey will start next month, according to President Tayyip Erdogan.

According to the U.S. State Department, $185 million has been allocated in total by the United States for humanitarian aid to support the earthquake response in Turkey and Syria.

According to the U.N. agency for sexual and reproductive health, there are about 356,000 pregnant survivors of the earthquakes who urgently need access to medical care.

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These include 130,000 women in Syria and 226,000 women in Turkey, with roughly 38,800 of them due to give birth in the coming month. Many of them were battling for food and water while living in camps or outside in the bitter cold.

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The Turkish disaster service announced on Sunday that search and rescue operations have been wrapped up in all provinces of the country with the exception of the two that were severely damaged by the big earthquake that occurred a week ago and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

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“The search and rescue operations have been finished in the majority of our provinces. They are still going on in the provinces of Kahramanmaras and Hatay “Yunus Sezer, the head of the agency, was quoted as saying this to reporters in Ankara. The location of Kahramanmaras served as the epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred on February 6.

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“The lifeless body of Atsu was discovered underneath the rubble. At this time, other objects are still being removed from the building. Additionally, his phone was located “Uzunmehmet told the media in Hatay, which is where the body of the athlete was discovered.

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning

My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support

— Nana Sechere (@iAmNana7) February 18, 2023

Among the thousands of structures that were reduced to rubble in Turkey were apartment complexes with multiple stories that were occupied by people.

Nana Sechere, an agent for a Ghanaian footballer, tweeted the following: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to everyone who has been concerned about Christian Atsu’s well-being that unfortunately, his body was found this morning. To his family and other loved ones, please accept my sincerest sympathies. I would like to take this moment to thank everyone for their prayers and support. I appreciate it more than you know.”

During this extremely trying time, I would ask that everyone respect the family’s need for privacy so that we can finish making the required arrangements. Thank you.

Christian Atsu joined Hatayspor, a Turkish Super Lig team headquartered in the southern province of Hatay near the core of Turkey’s devastating earthquake, in September.

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Atsu was supposed to travel out of southern Turkey hours before the earthquake, but Hatayspor’s manager reported on Friday that the Ghanaian elected to remain with the club after scoring the game-winning goal in a Super Lig encounter on February 5.

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As the death toll from the quakes in Turkey and Syria surpassed 25,000, rescue operations continued for the sixth consecutive day, with teams from various nations, including India, working on a war footing to help save survivors and treat the injured.

“I am extremely thankful to them (Indian relief forces) for being the first to arrive…

It was the first time I had met a group of people from India, and I cannot adequately describe how I felt. I refer to them as “dost,” but I view them as my brothers and sisters, says Furkaan, a Turkish national.

OperationDost continues in Turkey, days after powerful earthquakes killed at least 24,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
OperationDost continues in Turkey, days after devastating earthquakes struck the country and Syria, killing at least 24,000 people.

Visuals from a school building in Hatay, where the 60 Para Field Hospital of the Indian Army is providing medical aid and relief measures to the local population.

The surgical and emergency wards of a field hospital established by the Indian Army in Turkey’s quake-ravaged Hatay province became operational on Thursday. Another field hospital in Iskenderun treated 106 rescued individuals on Friday. In addition, India sent Turkey and Syria 841 cartons of medicines, protection safety tools, and diagnostics weighing 6.19 tonnes.

13 doctors, ortho and general surgeons, oral maxillofacial surgeons, community medicine specialists, logistic officers, and three medical officers comprise the 99-person team at the field hospital in Hatay.

I am extremely grateful to them for being the first group to arrive…

It was the first time I had met a group of people from India, and I cannot adequately describe how I felt. I refer to them as “dost,” but I view them as brothers and sisters: Furkaan is a Turkish citizen.

The 60 Para Field Hospital is part of the Indian Army’s para-brigade. As soon as we arrived, we established our hospital in a school building. Here, we have a laboratory and x-ray facility. We immediately began treatment,” Lt Col Adarsh, second-in-command of the 60 Para Field Hospital.

The Indian Army officer also reported that a patient who is currently stable underwent a 3.5-hour operation at the hospital. “There were also individuals who were extricated from the rubble after three days. We have stabilised their situation and are providing all assistance. We performed a difficult, three-and-a-half-hour operation at 3:30 a.m. the day before; the patient is stable and was referred to tertiary care in Adana today,” he said.

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Lt. Col. Adarsh added, “We received 350 patients yesterday and 200 patients since Saturday morning.”

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A rescuer crouched behind debris and whispered “inshallah” (God willing) as he reached into the wreckage and handed the infant to his team members. The child was wrapped in a gleaming thermal blanket and rushed to a medical field centre in Samandag with his eyes wide open. Emergency personnel transported his mother, who was bewildered and pale but conscious, on a stretcher, according to a video from Turkey’s disaster service.

Yağız Ulaş bebek sadece 10 günlük. Depremden 90 saat sonra Hatay Samandağ’da annesi ile birlikte enkazdan çıkarıldı. pic.twitter.com/7jjjEXQfiV

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) February 9, 2023

As the day progressed, further people were rescued in the country. Six individuals were rescued from a collapsed building in Iskenderun, Hatay, after spending 101 hours buried under the rubble, according to rescue workers.

Murat Baygul, a search-and-rescue worker, was quoted by the news agency Associated Press as claiming that the six individuals, all members of the same family, were able to survive by seeking safety together in a small pocket of the collapsed structure.

In Nurdagi, close to Iskenderun, a Spanish rescuer exclaimed, “I’ve got him! I’ve got him! Let’s go!” as he retrieved a two-year-old boy from a fallen structure. A group of troops from the Spanish Military Emergencies Unit (UME) formed a human chain to transfer Muslim Saleh to a warm tent. Shortly thereafter, they rescued his six-year-old sister, Elif, and then their mother, both of whom were discovered to be alive.

In the village of Kahramanmaras, around 170 kilometres north of Iskenderun, orange-clad workmen discovered a child in a fallen structure who was crying as dust entered his eyes.In the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir on Friday morning, the terrified face of a small child peered out from a collapsed structure, his cries rising above the sounds of drills and grinders used to rescue him. As with infant Yagiz, his mother followed him on a stretcher 103 hours after the earthquake.

Aurelio Soto, a spokesman for UME, told Reuters, “They did not require a great deal of medical care; just a little bit of love, warmth, drink, and fruit.”

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The 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the border region between Turkey and Syria, killing over 24,000 people and injuring a great number more. Friday, over 100 hours after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, rescuers raced against the clock to scour the rubble. The death toll continues to grow amid enormous damage, and hundreds of thousands of people rendered homeless by the earthquakes are gripped by cold, hunger, and despair.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is providing aerial images and data to aid earthquake-ravaged Turkey and Syria in their rescue efforts.

Administrator of the US space agency, Bill Nelson, stated that the teams of experts are working diligently to provide rescue workers with valuable information from the Earth-observing fleet. NASA is employing its synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which can monitor the planet in all weather conditions, day or night. According to the agency’s website, it is used to measure how the ground moves and the built landscape changes after an earthquake.

.@NASA is assisting @StateDept, @USAID, @USGS & first responders in the wake of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

Our disaster response team uses @NASAEarth satellites to help determine areas in need of assistance and to assess additional risks. https://t.co/FAIs90kr4Z

— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) February 8, 2023

A team of scientists from the Earth Observatory of Singapore and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory gathered images before and after the earthquake and created a “proxy damage map” for Turkey.

These proxy maps compare the pre- and post-earthquake radar images to determine how the landscape changed as a result of the tragic event. The US State Department, the California Seismic Safety Commission, the World Bank, and Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief have access to these proxy maps via Earth Science Applied Sciences, national and international collaborations, and the World Bank.

In addition to providing observations and maps through the Disaster Mapping Portal, NASA personnel participate in US Agency for International Development coordination calls.

Lori Schulz, the disaster coordinator for the Turkey-Syria earthquake at NASA, stated that the agency does not know who uses the information it disseminates, but has heard that the World Central Kitchen has used the information to provide food to the displaced. Using space and ground-based observations, NASA scientists are enhancing their ability to decode the events resulting from the natural disaster.

The scientists utilise data from the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition programme, which utilises data from commercial satellites to assist NASA in achieving its research objectives. They are able to identify areas with elevated landslide risks.

According to NASA, the scientists intend to add a new tool to evaluate the earthquake’s aftermath. The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), which will be launched to the International Space Station in 2022, can assess methane emissions as part of observations of the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Its observation times are determined by the orbit of the ISS. Nonetheless, while passing over the earthquake sites, the measurements of new emissions may indicate events that are not easily detected from space.

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Shanna McClain, manager of the NASA Disaster Program, stated that the agency’s relief efforts include tracking disasters such as natural hazard-triggered technological disasters such as damaged infrastructure and pipeline bursts, which the agency wants to identify quickly in order to save the lives of nearby people. According to the report on the website, the EMIT’s ability to assist with such efforts is being evaluated.

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In Turkey, AFP reporters couldn’t get on the social media network. It still worked using VPN services that disguise a user’s location and are generally free to use.

The netblocks.org social media monitor showed that Twitter was being slowed down and then blocked by all of the big cell phone companies. “The filtering measure could make it harder for people to help each other after Monday’s deadly earthquakes,” netblocks.com said.

“Turkey has an extensive history of social media restrictions during national emergencies and safety incidents,” the monitor added.

Since Monday’s earthquake, Turkish police have arrested 18 people for making “provocative” posts on social media that were critical of how President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government was handling the disaster. At least 11,700 people were killed by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks across southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria.

The disaster has already become the deadliest of Erdogan’s two decades in power — a tumultuous era beset with an attempted coup and violent protests as well as a series of smaller earthquakes and floods.Turkish social media have been filled with posts by people complaining about a lack of search and rescue efforts in their provinces.

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Officials released no immediate statements about the Twitter outage. But they had issued repeated warnings about spreading misinformation in advance of a crucial May 14 election in which Erdogan will try to extend his two-decade rule.

Turkey’s opposition leaders and celebrities said that the loss of Twitter could make it harder to save lives and help people in need.

“Let’s stop this disgrace immediately,” the secular main opposition CHP party’s leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu declared.”They have nothing to hide from us.” Meral Aksener, the leader of the nationalist opposition Iyi Party, said that Twitter was needed “to tell the world what earthquake victims need.”

Twitter and Facebook are down in Turkey because this man is afraid and there is nothing he won't do not to lose. pic.twitter.com/t8BQqmkpdn

— Ayşe Baltacıoğlu-Brammer (@BrammerAyse) February 8, 2023

The two leaders are in charge of a group of six parties that are trying to agree on a single candidate to run against Erdogan for president.

But the Turkish government’s decision to block Twitter in the middle of a very serious national crisis was heard far beyond the country’s political world.Turkish rock star Haluk Levent tweeted, “Err, what are we going to do now?” His non-profit group helps people in need, and he has 7.2 million Twitter followers.

Erdogan was in two of Turkey’s worst-hit provinces when Twitter went down.

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