More than 4000 victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Islam News – Rescuers in Turkey and Syria were digging through rubble in search of survivors after a powerful earthquake collapsed thousands of buildings and killed more than 4,000 people.

It is another humanitarian disaster in an area already battered by war, a refugee crisis and deep economic troubles. Here are live updates, a detailed map of the damage and some pictures and video showing the aftermath.

An initial earthquake, with a magnitude 7.8, the strongest felt in Turkey since 1939, struck before dawn on Monday. Hours later, in the afternoon, a second tremor measuring 7.5, almost as powerful as the first shock, shook the area again, complicating rescue efforts and terrifying millions of people living in the quake zone.

The epicenter was near the city of Gaziantep in south-central Turkey, where more than 1,650 people were killed.

In Syria, a country devastated by civil war, the scenes of destruction felt all too familiar. One of the areas hard-hit was northwest Syria, which is under the control of the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition and is home to some 4.2 million people, more than half of whom have been displaced by war.

Governments around the world responded to Turkey’s request for assistance, deploying rescue teams and offers of aid. Syria requested help from Israel, a longtime enemy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized deliveries of aid to Syria as well as to Turkey.

Cultural loss: Gaziantep Castle, which was built as a watchtower in the Roman period, was heavily damaged.

Turkish politics: With an election looming, the earthquake is a major test for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose response to the 2021 wildfires was heavily criticized.

Source: The New York Times