Devastating Earthquakes in Southern Türkiye and Northern Syria, Friday, 10 February 2023 – updated 23:59 (GMT+3): Türkiye-Syria Devastating Earthquakes Day 5 Developments: 23,700, Dead; 80,000 Injured; 75,000 Evacuated – Türkiye

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After five days of search and rescue following Monday’s deadly earthquakes affecting 29 million people across Southern Türkiye and Northern Syria, little hope is left for finding survivors in the rubble. On Monday, February 6th, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep in the early hours of the morning followed by a series of aftershocks and just nine hours later, a second earthquake struck just a few cities over in Kahramanmaras at 7.5-magnitude on the Richter scale. More than 285 aftershocks have followed. The ten hardest hit cities in south Türkiye have been ordered under state of emergency for 3 months by the Turkish Government including Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Adana, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, Malatya, and Kilis. In Syria, the northwest province of Aleppo was the most affected. So far with efforts from the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency AFAD, 75,000 earthquake victims have been evacuated to assigned cities across the country, where they have accommodation for one year.

Today, the death toll for the region passed 23,700 in addition to more than 80,000 injured and according to President Erdogan’s remarks, 12,141 buildings have been destroyed or heavily damaged in Türkiye. The scale of building damage is not known in Northwest Syria; as is similar to Turkish cities Hatay, Gaziantep, and Kahramanmaras among other areas, entire districts have been flattened. Rescue teams from 94 countries came to support relief efforts this week but the response across the border has been rife with challenges due to damaged and closed border crossings and when a UN convoy was able to cross, aid was not meant for earthquake relief, exasperating communities affected by 12 years of war, limited infrastructure, and on the heals of an existing cholera outbreak. Going into the weekend though, the U.S. decided to waive sanctions to respond to the outcry for ramping up aid efforts in Syria, and governments and global citizens around the world have pledged significant support in monetary and in-kind donations to support all affected. Seventy-five thousand people were evacuated from the 10-city zone in Türkiye today with the government claiming to rebuild in one year.

International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation (IBC) continues to increase its relief efforts in the region. Since IBC had locations in Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Hatay, and A’zaz implementing humanitarian and relief programs after the start of the war in Syria, staff was on the scene from the first hours of the disaster. Beginning Thursday, IBC President Recep Uker, together with Program Directors Nalan Uker and Tolga Baca, Cross-Border Programs Manager Muhammed Assaf, Regional Coordinator Alper Mavi, and Program Coordinator Ekin Dallar have been undertaking assessments of the situation in Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, and A’zaz. Yesterday IBC team visited the hard-hit districts of Islahiye in Gaziantep, and Iskenderun and Antakya districts of Hatay and started working to provide urgent needs of the region for food, clothing, heating, and shelter. Together with partner International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) Canada, IBC Kilis Community Center provided hundreds of hot meals and emergency support to 1000 families staying in the vicinity, as well as support to the 9,000-person municipality-run reception center in Sanliurfa. According to the Government of Türkiye today, search and rescue has been completed in both Kilis and Sanliurfa and the focus has shifted towards recovery.

In Gaziantep and Hatay, IBC team saw the destruction of the earthquakes firsthand in disbelief. Hot food, hot soup, blankets, tents, stoves, and baby care packages including diapers are among top priority needs especially in Islahiye/Gaziantep. Hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless in the freezing cold conditions even among evacuations. The 10-city zone was home to around 15 million people before, including 1.7 million Syrians living under temporary protection. Surviving residents of the destroyed region have begun evacuating by Turkish Airlines (THY), which announced that they have already helped relocate 26,699 residents. Around Türkiye, cities prepare to receive those displaced as drives have begun to collect baby items and supplies for youth, clothing, medical supplies, and home goods. UNCHR reports that more than 300 children have arrived in Izmir and are being treated at the Tepecik Learning and Research Hospital, today, emphasizing the fact that this disaster has touched every corner of the nation.

In addition, according to the Ministry of Family and Social Services of Türkiye, there are 162 unaccompanied children accounted for who have been taken out of the rubble and continue to be treated in the hospital. Türkiye’s Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum stated, “We lost 2,529 lives in Gaziantep. Our injured 12,468 brothers are currently being treated in hospitals. Search and rescue activities in Gaziantep started in 1,324 buildings. Within the framework of search and rescue activities, we are currently carrying out search and rescue activities in only 108 buildings. We have started the biggest disaster housing mobilization in the history of the Republic.”

On Wednesday, IBC Field Team met with the President of the Turkish Red Crescent, Adnan Erdogan as well as Anne Cecil from Doctors without Borders at IBC Kilis hub to talk about the basic needs in the city, especially provision of ready-made meals, blankets, and tents. It was agreed to begin cooperation to increase daily meals from 5,000 3x per day to 6,000 meals 3x per day to meet the growing needs. Visits were made to the current distribution points in Kilis including 2,000 people at the main sports field, 1,000 people at IBC Community Center, 2,000 people at the University of Kilis, and 1,000 people in the center of the city’s cemetery. In addition, large tents were built to shelter families in the area and through the new agreement, IBC and partners will provide these tents with food as well.

IBC has mobilized its full capacity in the region and with partners are currently developing relief projects covering Kilis, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Sanliurfa and in Northwest Syria, A’zaz, Al-bab, Afrin, and Idlib. For the survivors, IBC is working tirelessly to provide food, water, shelter, warmth, and essential needs.

For the survivors, IBC is working tirelessly to provide food, water, shelter, warmth, and essential needs. Headquarters staff, in concert with global partners, are mobilizing flows of vitally important medical supplies, food, hygiene kits, and basic needs equipment to fulfill the needs of the earthquake victims. Personnel on the ground continue to operate crucial, lifesaving operations while plans to expand and intensify activities are finalized.

For now, IBC Kilis Community Center continues to serve as a major hub for coordination and relief efforts, including for cross-border response into Syria. In addition, IBC is taking the following actions:

• Daily hot meal distribution in Kilis

• Establishing hot meal and food parcel distribution center in Hatay

• Deliver 4,000 thermal blankets to Gaziantep • Provide wheat flour to Sanliurfa Municipality Halk Ekmek and distribute bread free of charge

• Establishing a shelter center of 200 prefabricated components in Hatay and Kahramanmaras and undertake all needs

• Support municipality in Sanliurfa for shelter housing 9,000 people; deliver baby food and diapers, sandwiches, blankets

IBC Activities to be intensified by the end of the week:

• Distribution of hot meals to 2,000 people each in Hatay and Kilis for minimum 1 mo.

• Delivery of 200,000 ready-to-eat food at least to Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras this month

• Complete the construction of prefabricated temporary shelters in Kahramanmaras and Hatay in a month

• Running those camps for at least six months, covering all needs

• Provide 20,000 blankets, 20,000 food kits, and 20,000 hygiene kits this month to four cities: Sanliurfa, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, and Gaziantep/Kilis

• Transfer in-kind donations to North Syria mainly

• Provide 2,000 first aid kits to the health units we are running in Al-Bab, A’zaz, and Dabiq in North Syria and support all medical needs

Urgent Needs in General:

• Tens of thousands of tents

• Heaters for the tents, fuel

• Basic first aid kits

• Hygiene and Sanitary Kits (for children and adults); Diapers

• Medicine and Medical Equipment

• Blankets & Winter Clothing

• Power banks

• Ready to Eat Food for at least to 10,000 people, also dry food

• Wheat for Bread Production

• Drinkable water

• Bedding

Even after five days, needs in the region are insurmountable. The total affected area is the size of Germany. Medical and general evacuations are underway; food, water, power supply, medical aid are urgently needed. The damage done to roads and infrastructure has made many areas simply unlivable. The only border crossing for United Nations for delivering aid to Syria was damaged in the earthquakes however, Turkish officials are in the process of negotiating the opening of 2 alternative crossings and have made airways open for the response as well. IBC supports calls out for rapidly improving humanitarian access to Northwest Syria. Lists of medical needs are included below. More support is needed, more support is being cried out for.

IBC will keep all partners and potential donors appraised of the current situation daily.

We ask our partners and international civil society members to help us in these tragic days so that together we may overcome the suffering of our people.