On 6 February 2023, an earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The epicenter was 37 km (23 mi) west–northwest of Gaziantep. It was followed by a second earthquake centered 95 km (59 mi) north-northeast from the first. There was widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities. This earthquake is the largest in Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake of the same magnitude and jointly the second-strongest recorded in the country’s history after the 1668 North Anatolia earthquake. It is also one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the Levant.
There was widespread damage in an area of about 350,000 km2 (140,000 sq mi) (about the size of Germany), affecting an estimated 14 million people or 16 per cent of Turkey’s population. Development experts from the United Nations estimated that about 1.5 million people were left homeless.
As of 20 March 2023, more than 57,300 deaths were confirmed, more than 50,000 in Turkey and more than 7,200 in Syria. It is the deadliest earthquake in present-day Turkey since the 526 Antioch earthquake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in modern history.
It is also the deadliest in present-day Syria since the 1822 Aleppo earthquake, the deadliest worldwide since the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the fifth-deadliest of the 21st century.
Damages were estimated to be US$104 billion in Turkey and US$5.1 billion in Syria, making them the fourth-costliest earthquakes.
Damaged roads, winter storms, and disruption to communications hampered the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency’s rescue and relief effort, which included a 60,000-strong search-and-rescue force,5,000 health workers and 30,000 volunteers.
Following Turkey’s call for international help, more than 141,000 people from 94 countries joined the rescue effort.
