76 Dead in Turkey, 99 Dead in Syria
Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake Strikes at Dawn, Damage Expands
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that occurred in southeastern Turkey (T?rkiye) caused hundreds of casualties not only in T?rkiye but also in neighboring Syria. Especially, as the earthquake struck suddenly at dawn, citizens who were unable to respond in time were trapped under building debris, causing the death toll to grow like a snowball.
According to the Associated Press on the 6th (local time), a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck inland about 33 km from Gaziantep in southeastern T?rkiye at around 4:17 a.m. that day, resulting in 76 deaths and 440 injuries in T?rkiye alone. In neighboring Syria, 99 people were reported dead and over 330 injured.
Many buildings were destroyed by the earthquake that occurred at dawn, and citizens who could not evacuate in time were buried under the rubble, causing the death toll to continue to rise. The earthquake was so strong and the damage spread to major cities in T?rkiye and Syria, resulting in significant casualties. In particular, Gaziantep, close to the earthquake's epicenter, has a population of over one million, and with many collapsed buildings, there are concerns that the death toll will increase significantly.
According to major foreign media, the earthquake in T?rkiye lasted about one minute, causing about 30 buildings to collapse one after another. Due to the large scale of the earthquake, tremors were also detected in distant regions such as Israel, Lebanon, and Cyprus.
The Turkish government is also urgently working on disaster recovery. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an expressed his sincere condolences to the residents affected by the earthquake in Kahramanmara?, stating, "Under the cooperation of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, all organizations have responded."
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