Death Toll Scale To 4,372 After Earthquake Struck Turkey And Syria

More than 4,300 people have been killed and thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria early Monday, according to officials and agencies.

Turkey’s toll rose to 2,921 as of Tuesday morning, according to Yunus Sezer, Turkey’s head of disaster services. A total of 15,834 injuries have been reported, Sezer said in a news conference in Ankara.

Sezer said he would provide a more comprehensive update at 6 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET). In Syria, 1,451 deaths and 3,531 injuries have been reported by officials.

Thousands of buildings collapsed in both countries and aid agencies are particularly worried about northwestern Syria, where more than 4 million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.

The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) is urging people to stay off the roads to help with search and rescue efforts following the earthquake.

At least 300,000 blankets, 24,712 beds, and 19,722 tents have been sent to affected earthquake areas, AFAD said.  AFAD said in order to provide “psycho-social” support services to affected individuals, 765 personnel workers and 50 vehicles were dispatched to affected earthquake areas.

“Please leave the roads open and do not go into traffic unless necessary so the search and rescue teams and the emergency vehicles that are directed to the earthquake zones can carry out their work,” the agency tweeted Monday.

Leaders of Australia and New Zealand on Monday 6^th announced a combined total of $11.5 million in aid for victims of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

During a joint news conference in Canberra on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country would provide an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance through the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and humanitarian agencies.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who is on his first state visit to Australia, said Wellington would contribute $1.5 million.

In a statement Tuesday, New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the “humanitarian contribution will support teams from the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent to deliver essential relief items such as food supplies, tents, and blankets, and provide lifesaving medical assistance and psychological support.”

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