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