Around a quarter past four local time, the southeast of Turkey and the northwest of Syria were shaken by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 last night. The epicenter was just northwest of the city of Gaziantep, a metropolis not far from the border with Syria. Not long after, another strong aftershock followed.
There were several aftershocks throughout the day. The strongest was in Kahramanmaras province and had a magnitude of 7.5. Both shocks were felt not only in Turkey and Syria. Reports of damage were also received from Lebanon and Cyprus.
A Turkish reporter was overcome by a new shock on live TV. In the video below you can see how he and his team have to flee from falling debris:
Turkish President Erdogan has declared seven days of national mourning in response to the many deaths from the natural disaster. All flags on government buildings in the country will remain at half-mast until next Sunday.
All schools in the country will also remain closed for the time being. The Turkish minister of education made this known. The buildings are intended to be used as shelters to provide shelter and food to residents of the earthquake zone. The rescue efforts continue, even as night falls. In several places it is assumed that people are still alive under the rubble.
Insecurity
The earthquakes in our country cause a lot of uncertainty, especially among Turkish and Syrian Dutch people. Many people try to contact relatives in the affected area. One of those people is Ahmed from Schoonoord in Drenthe. His mother, among others, was under the rubble. In the article below, he tells RTL Nieuws how he experienced this dramatic day:
Worldwide, pledges for relief efforts are on the rise. For example, a Dutch team departed from Eindhoven Airport for the Turkish Adana this evening. The team consists of 65 people and eight rescue dogs. The first rescue teams will also arrive in Turkey from France and the United Kingdom this evening.
The government in Syria has also asked the international community for help. Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad says the government is ready to provide international organizations with “all necessary facilities” so that they can deliver humanitarian aid. More and more countries and aid organizations are pledging aid after Monday’s natural disaster to both Turkey and Syria.
Money is collected from several organizations for the victims of the earthquakes. The Red Cross has now opened Giro 7244. The organization says that 591,000 euros have already been collected.
Islamic Relief Netherlands has also started a fundraising campaign. The SOS Turkey action has so far raised around 50,000 euros. The goal of the campaign is to raise 300,000 euros, says director M’hamed Abalhaj.
