Deadly earthquake ravages Turkey, Syria
Over 2,200 people were killed and thousands wounded after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria in the wee hours on Monday. It was followed by another large quake of magnitude 7.7 in the afternoon.
According to Reuters, it was not immediately clear how much damage had been done by the second quake. While the death toll in Turkey crossed 1,500 in the country’s most severe quake since 1999, officials said about 716 people were killed across the border in war-ravaged Syria.
A region that sit on major seismic fault lines, Turkey is frequently by earthquakes. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said bitter weather was making search and rescue efforts arduous. “Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts although winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night makes things more difficult,” he said.
Several nations and international organisations have offered their assistance. Reaching out to Turkey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that it will dispatch two teams of National Disaster Response Force to the disaster area. These teams included specially trained dog squads and equipment. In collaboration with the Turkish government, medical personnel were getting ready and relief supplies were being deployed.
