On February 6, 2023, at 04:17, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey. It was followed by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake at 13:24. Widespread damage occurred across thirteen cities, leading to tens of thousands of fatalities. The impact reached as far as Egypt and the Black Sea coast of Turkey. An estimated 14 million people, constituting 16 percent of Turkey's population, were affected. Development experts from the United Nations estimated that about 1.5 million people were left homeless.


The confirmed death toll stood at  50,783. It is the deadliest earthquake in what is now present-day Turkey since the 526 Antioch earthquake and the deadliest natural disaster in its modern history. It is also the deadliest worldwide since the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the fifth-deadliest of the 21st century.

2023

After the earthquake, an unexplained fire broke out at İskenderun Port, one of Turkey's important ports, located in Hatay province.

Hatay was the most affected city by the earthquake. In the direction extending from the foothills to the city center, many neighborhoods were completely destroyed.

A family in Hatay, who lost their home, is heading to the place where they will spend the night.

In Hatay, many people tried to exit their homes by hanging curtains from the balcony.

In Kahramanmaraş, search and rescue teams and soldiers assisting in the operation are retrieving a person who lost their life from under the rubble.

A woman in Kahramanmaraş, who lost her home in the earthquake, is waiting on the street with other people.

A photograph of the remains of a house in the town of Nurdağı, Gaziantep.

Three Syrian youths in the town of Nurdağı, Gaziantep, who lost their homes, are looking for a tent to stay in with the belongings they could salvage.

Official search and rescue teams reached the İskenderun, Hatay on the fourth day after the earthquake. During the first four days, survivors tried to rescue those trapped under the rubble through their own efforts.

Two women in İskenderun, Hatay, waiting for the rescue of their relatives trapped under the rubble.

Antakya, in the center of Hatay, 146 hours after the earthquake, a man was miraculously rescued from under the rubble by coal miners who came from Zonguldak province to assist in search and rescue efforts.



Click on the Video, Journal tab to watch the video of this rescue.

Search and rescue and medical teams waiting outside for the man miraculously rescued from the rubble 146 hours after the earthquake.

In Hatay, the bodies removed from the rubble are placed in vehicles and transported to the morgue section of hospitals.

A deceased person brought to the courtyard of Kahramanmaraş Hospital by their relatives.

The morgue section of Kahramanmaraş Hospital. Many hospital morgues struggled to provide service far beyond their capacity due to the high number of death.

Adana province was relatively less affected by the earthquake compared to twelve other cities. It was revealed that the few collapsed buildings were not prepared according to earthquake regulations during construction.

A woman in Adana receiving the news of the death of her relative in a collapsed building.

A house affected by the earthquake in Nurdağı, Gaziantep.

In Kahramanmaraş, search and rescue teams are calling out under the rubble to find out if anyone is alive.

In Kahramanmaraş, the second search and rescue team is waiting above the rubble for news from the first team that descended into the debris.

A woman who survived the earthquake in Hatay is talking on the phone with her relatives in another city.

People waiting in line for meals distributed by aid organizations.

A volunteer from western Turkey, who came to support search and rescue efforts, is washing his hair on the fourth day of the earthquake.

In Hatay, the municipal sports hall was turned into a temporary shelter immediately after the earthquake. Earthquake victims and volunteers slept on these beds for days.

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