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Crisis Overview
Two of the strongest earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye, of 7.8 and 7.7 magnitude, occurred on Monday 6 February, affecting more than 18.1 million people. 700 tremors were felt since the first earthquake.
One of the strongest earthquakes in the region in more than 100 years, of 7.8 magnitude, occurred on Monday 6 February in southeastern Türkiye at about 4:15 am local time (1:15 UTC), centered about 70 kilometers from Gaziantep, in Şekeroba (ADAM WFP 06/02/2023). A strong 6.7 aftershock was felt in Türkoğlu, a few kilometers north from the first earthquake, about 10 minutes later (ADAM WFP 06/02/2023). More than 2.65 million people were living in the 50 kilometers radius of the epicenter (ADAM WFP 06/02/2023). Up to 70,000 people were exposed to violent shaking, according to USGS (USGS 06/02/2023). Another 7.7 earthquake occurred 100 kilometers north of the first one, in Ekinözü, with an aftershock of magnitude 6, at 1:30 pm local time (ADAM WFP 06/02/2023).
A series of earthquakes have been following the initial tremors, with more than 700 tremors happening since the first worst earthquake until 8 February afternoon (AFAD 08/02/2023). The continuous shaking is hampering search and rescue activities and contributing to fuel panic, with residents evacuating their shelters in a rush (KI 06/02/2023, The Guardian 07/02/2023).
The earthquakes have been felt throughout the region, in neighboring countries, especially Syrian border regions with Türkiye and Iraq (Anadolu Agency 06/02/2023). They severely affected an area of around 450 kilometers, from Adana in the west to Diyarbakır in the east and 300 kilometers from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south in Türkiye, including the main cities of Gaziantep, Adana, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Diyarbakir,
Adiyaman and Sanliurfa in Türkiye, where about 13.5 million people are residing. In northwest Syria, Syrian authorities reported deaths as far south as Hama, about 100 kilometers from the epicentre, including the cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Homs and Hama, home to about 4.5 million people. WHO fears that up to 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, could be affected cumulatively (Reuters 07/02/2023).