Death Toll Rises in Turkey and Syria As Winter Weathers Hinder Earthquake Rescue Efforts

The death toll in Turkey and Syria has climbed to over 5,000 while rescue efforts have been hindered by freezing temperatures one day after two massive earthquakes hit near Gaziantep in southern Turkey.

As The New York Times reported Tuesday, Feb. 7, at least 3,700 people are dead in Turkey and 1,700 are dead in Syria. Thousands of rescue workers are searching for survivors, but inclimate winter weather has hit the region hard, bringing freezing temperatures, rain, and snow. 

The first three days are generally considered the “golden period” for finding survivors and saving lives, an Indonesian search and rescue expert, Lady Korua, told The Times. But the weather isn’t the only factor hindering this urgent task. Another emergency management expert noted that the Gaziantep region is fairly remote, making it hard for personnel and equipment to reach it. Additionally, there are concerns about just how many people may be trapped in the rubble because the first earthquake hit in the middle of the night when many people were sleeping and unable to seek shelter. 

In the wake of the earthquake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency for the 10 provinces affected. “We are face to face with one of the biggest disasters ever for our region,” he said in a televised address.

The first earthquake hit at 4:17 a.m. local time, Monday, Feb. 6, in Gaziantep in southern Turkey, not far from the Syrian border (the quake was also felt in Syria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon). About nine hours later, a second earthquake hit the same region, about 59 miles north of the original.

The initial quake was the deadliest Turkey has seen in over 20 years and about as strong as the most powerful quake ever recorded in the country’s history in 1939. 

The first quake registered a magnitude of 7.8, while the second aftershock measured 7.5. Though Turkey is regularly rattled by earthquakes, including ones with magnitudes of 7.0 or more, these caused such significant damage because the epicenter of the quake was so shallow (about 10 miles deep) and because the Gazianstep region is so densely populated. Gaziantep’s population is about two million people, while the region is also home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees at a nearby United Nations operation.

Numerous other factors are contributing to the severity of the crisis, from immediate concerns about inclimate weather to longstanding economic and societal issues. Southern Turkey and northern Syria have faced significant economic hardship in recent years, and an early estimate placed the damage from Monday’s quakes at over $1 billion. Turkey’s currency, the lira, is collapsing amid rising inflation as the country’s economy slows and wages remain low. 

And Syria remains gripped by civil war, with the earthquake hitting a particularly fraught region in the northwest part of the country, near the front line between government and anti-government forces. Years of airstrikes had already weakened or destroyed much of the infrastructure in the area before Monday’s quakes hit. 

“Anywhere else in the world, this would be an emergency,” Mark Kaye, spokesman for the International Rescue Committee, told The Times. “What we have in Syria is an emergency within an emergency.”

This story was updated on 2/7/23 @ 11:30 a.m. ET with updates on the death toll and rescue efforts.