End of Mission Report: United Nations Disaster Assessment & Coordination (UNDAC) 7.8 Earthquake (February 6, 2023) – Türkiye UNDAC Mission: February 6 – May 17, 2023

1. Background Information on the emergency

1.1. Description of disaster

At 4:17 a.m. on 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck close to Gaziantep city in southern Türkiye – the most powerful earthquake recorded in the country since 1939. A second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 occurred some nine hours later, with its epicentre only around 70 kilometres from the first earthquake, near Ekinözü city in Kahramanmaras province. On the same day, the Government of Türkiye issued a Level 4 alarm calling for international assistance, with the earthquakes having caused widespread destruction of houses and infrastructure in urban centres and rural areas across Türkiye and northwest Syria. Aftershocks continued to impact Türkiye and Syria the following weeks causing renewed fear for those who survived the devastating earthquakes on February 6, 2023.
People were displaced from their homes or trapped under rubble facing freezing weather conditions, with temperatures dropping well below zero degrees Celsius in many of the affected areas.
For more information go to OCHA Emergency Situation Reports for Türkiye on ReliefWeb.

1.2. Impact

As of April 2023, the earthquakes – and more than 22,000 aftershocks – had caused catastrophic damage. More than 50,000 people had lost their lives in Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman,
Osmaniye, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya and Elazığ provinces and some 107,000 people had suffered injuries. The earthquake hit communities at the peak of winter, leaving millions of people homeless and relocated, without immediate access to emergency shelter, food, water, heating, warm clothing and medical care in freezing cold temperatures. More than 298,000 buildings had been severely damaged or destroyed, forcing some 3 million people to relocate. Additionally, where people are living is a significant factor in their needs and the type of response they received. An estimated 1.6 million people were residing in informal settlements, mostly in makeshift shelters or tents with extremely basic living conditions and limited or no access to services.
More detailed information on the impact and general information about the emergency can be found on the Humanitarian Needs and Response Overview.