More Than 20,000 Dead After Earthquakes in Turkey, Syria
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Powerful earthquakes rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday morning, leaving at least 20,000 people dead and thousands more injured.
The Details: A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by another 7.5-magnitude quake roughly nine hours later and other strong aftershocks. Tremors were reportedly felt over 150 miles away in Lebanon. Multiple outlets reported on collapsed buildings trapping survivors, and on videos showing fires breaking out in southern Turkey amid reports that the earthquake caused gas pipelines to burst.
For Context: Earthquakes of this magnitude are rare; on average, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) expects just one 8.0-magnitude or greater quake worldwide each year.
How the Media Covered It: The news was a top story from news sources across the political spectrum, with many focusing on the search for survivors and framing it as frantic. Updated 2/7/23 at 9:05 a.m. ET with most recent death toll.
Update 2/9/23 1:26pm ET: Updated death count with the latest reporting.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Powerful quake kills more than 1,800 people in Turkey and Syria
More than 1,800 people have been killed and thousands more injured after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria early on Monday.
The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey's Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said.
Multiple strong aftershocks have been felt across the region for hours after the first quake, including a severe quake measuring magnitude 7.5.
Turkey's disaster agency appealed for help from the international community as it conducts search...
From the Center
Second earthquake hits after more than 1,700 killed in Turkey and Syria
The death toll from the first earthquake has risen to 1,121 in Turkey, according to the country's disaster agency.
This brings the overall number of fatalities from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria to more than 1,900, as the latest figures from Syria estimate that 783 people have been confirmed dead.
The number of casualties is expected to continue rising as rescuers search for survivors.
It's unclear yet how many people died as a result of the second tremor - if any at all.
The "sheer magnitude" of the initial...
From the Right
Over 1,500 dead after powerful 7.8 quake knocks down buildings in Turkey, Syria
More than 1,500 people have been confirmed dead after a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southeast Turkey and Syria early Monday, leveling several buildings as people slept in their beds.
The devastating toll has continued to rise as rescuers frantically search for survivors trapped under the rubble.
Thousands of more people in both countries were injured, officials said.
The earthquake’s center struck an area about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital 60 miles from the Syrian border, according to the US Geological Survey. It was centered 11 miles...
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