Türkiye/Syria: Earthquakes - Feb 2023

On 6 February, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern Türkiye at 4:17 a.m. This is Türkiye's most powerful earthquake recorded since 1939. [...] The Government of Türkiye has since issued a Level 4 alarm, calling for international assistance. The earthquake also heavily impacted north-west Syria, a region where 4.1 million people depend on humanitarian assistance today [...] At this time, Syrian communities are simultaneously hit with an on-going cholera outbreak and harsh winter events including heavy rain and snow over the weekend. The humanitarian response is largely overstretched with a funding gap of 48 per cent identified for the last quarter of 2022 (US$371.1 is required out of 802.1 million). (OCHA, 6 Feb 2023)

UN and partners are preparing the first cross-border aid convoy to north-west Syria since a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern Türkiye on 6 February. The cross-border operation was temporarily disrupted as the road connecting Gaziantep to the UN Transshipment Hub in Hatay was impaired. As of 8 February, two alternative routes have been identified to reach the Hub following feasibility assessments, from Gaziantep via Kilis-Kirikhan and from Mersin via Adana-Kirikhan [...] The emergency response to the earthquake continues on its third day. Death tolls in Türkiye and north-west Syria are climbing by the hour, reaching more than 11,000 people as of 8 February – a 450 per cent increase since the reported figure in the first OCHA Flash Update. At least 648 aftershocks have been reported. (OCHA, 8 Feb 2023)

More than 4,400 deaths and 8,100 injuries have been reported in north-west Syria, as of 15 February, since an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude struck Türkiye on 6 February. As of 15 February, more than 9,000 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed in north-west Syria, rendering at least 11,000 people homeless. [...] As of 16 February, a total of 142 trucks loaded with aid provided by six UN agencies have so far crossed to north-west Syria since the earthquakes. On 16 February, 22 trucks carrying aid by WFP and UNHCR crossed through Bab Al-Hawa while two additional trucks carrying tents provided by UNHCR crossed Bab Al-Salam. (OCHA, 17 Feb 2023)

The UN and humanitarian partners launched a Flash Appeal calling for $397.6 million of emergency assistance to provide relief to 4.9 million people in most acute need following the earthquakes. The United Nations Secretary General welcomed the opening of the additional two crossing points of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee from Türkiye to north-west Syria for an initial period of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid. (OCHA, 15 Feb 2023)

In Türkiye, over 36,100 people were killed and tens of thousands more were injured due to the earthquakes, while 216,347 people from affected areas have been relocated to other provinces, according to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) on 16 February. [...] Access to and within earthquake-affected areas has improved over the past week. The road constraints impeding access between the main populated areas in the affected areas have been resolved, and roads connecting Adana, Gaziantep, Hatay, Adiyaman and Malatya are passable again. In some parts of Malatya, some roads remain accessible only with 4x4 vehicles. While Adana remains the main entry point for international humanitarian cargo coming by air, Gaziantep is also open to passenger flights and Hatay and Sanliurfa airports resumed operations on 13 February. (OCHA, 16 Feb 2023)

As of 15 February, the rapid structural assessment was undertaken in Aleppo in 4,159 buildings and classified 169 buildings as ‘high risk of collapse’ and 644 as ‘medium risk of collapse.’ UNMAS is marking the buildings categorized as high risk of collapse with the aim to dissuade people from returning to them. In Lattakia, a total of 1.3 million people are directly or indirectly affected by the earthquake. Approximately 34,400 families are displaced and currently either being hosted in temporary shelters, including governmental buildings, or staying with relatives with reportedly dire humanitarian needs. There are currently 29 designated shelters and the number is expected to increase in the coming days/weeks. In Tartous, a total of 0.9 million people are directly or indirectly affected by the earthquake. There are two designated shelters; the number is expected to increase in the coming days/weeks. (OCHA, 16 Feb 2023)

As of 18 February, 40,642 people were killed and more than 108,000 were injured due to the earthquakes in Turkey, while over 430,000 people from affected areas have been relocated to other provinces, according to AFAD. [...] As of 19 February 2023, AFAD reports that 65 United Nations Classified and other International Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams are active on the ground. [...] The teams are working in the provinces of Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, and Hatay. A total of 191 international teams concluded search and rescue operations and have demobilized. (OCHA, 19 Feb 2023)

The local authorities in badly hit Aleppo [..] continue to provide immediate support to those displaced to collective shelters (it is estimated that there are still some 200 such shelters in Aleppo although the number changes daily). [...] With the search and rescue phase of the response nearly over, (humanitarian) partners are focused on assisting people in collective shelters and, in this regard, a minimum package of assistance has been developed and is being refined. [...] In Lattakia, partners met with the Government-led Operations Room, where local authorities reported that 103 buildings had collapsed, 300 buildings are at risk of collapsing (people have been evacuated from them) and 172,000 people are displaced. Most of these are staying with host communities although the authorities have made just 29 shelters available leading to overcrowding. (OCHA, 18 Feb 2023)

At 20:04 on 20 February 2023, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Hatay in southern Türkiye which was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock three minutes later and 90 subsequent aftershocks. These earthquakes were felt throughout the region, causing renewed fear for those who survived the devastating earthquakes on February 6, 2023, which killed 42,310 people in the country as of 21 February 2023 according to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). After the latest earthquakes on February 20, AFAD reported that six people lost their lives, at least 294 people were injured, 18 of which severely, and ten buildings collapsed. (OCHA, 21 Feb 2023)

The UN and humanitarian partners are scaling up their cross-border operation which has served as lifeline to millions of people in north-west Syria since 2014. As of 27 February, over 420 trucks loaded with aid provided by six UN agencies have crossed from Türkiye to north-west Syria using three border-crossings: Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee. The UN has so far completed 17 cross-border missions to north-west Syria since the first interagency visit to Idleb on 14 February. [...] At least 3 million people affected by the earthquakes are in the Idleb province. More than 4,500 deaths and more than 8,700 injuries due to the earthquakes have been reported in north-west Syria, as of 26 February, according to the Health Cluster. The districts with the highest number of deaths and injuries as of 25 February remain Harim, followed by Afrin and Jisr-Ash-Shugur. As of 26 February, more than 1,700 buildings have been completely destroyed and more than 8,600 buildings have been partially destroyed. Some 60 per cent of partially destroyed buildings were reported in Harim in the Idleb governorate and Afrin in the Aleppo governorate. (OCHA, 28 Feb 2023)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on 6 March that the death toll from the deadly earthquakes has risen to 46,104. He said the number of collapsed and heavily damaged buildings in 11 provinces in the earthquake zone reached 230 thousand. The President added that currently 3 million 320 thousand people were evacuated from the earthquake zone and went to other provinces, while 800 thousand people in the region took shelter in their villages. [...] On 2 March, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) reported that the total number of people who were given shelter in the region affected by the earthquake is 1,593,808. In other provinces, a total of 329,960 people affected by the disaster are provided with accommodation services, bringing the total number of people provided with shelter and accommodation to more than 1.9 million. (OCHA, 09 Mar 2023)

One month after the 6 February earthquake, the humanitarian situation in the affected areas across Syria remains dire despite a scale-up in humanitarian response. Prior to the earthquake, more than 15 million people were estimated to need humanitarian assistance across the country. An estimated 8.8 million people have now been affected by the earthquake. [...] The earthquake caused an estimated US$5.1 billion in direct physical damages in Syria, according to a World Bank report, with nearly half of the damages caused to residential buildings. 3.7 million children in earthquake-affected areas across Syria are facing potentially catastrophic threats, including contagious, contact-transmitted and waterborne diseases and lack of access to basic services. (OCHA, 09 Mar 2023)

On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 am, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. A second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude followed at 13:24. As a result, many buildings collapsed amidst already vulnerable living situations and very harsh weather conditions. As of 21 February 2023, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported that 1,414 people lost their lives, 2,357 people were injured, and more than six million people are affected in Syria, including more than 300,000 displaced people. Major infrastructure damage has been witnessed with 276 destroyed buildings and more than 300 partially damaged, in addition to the complete destruction of 248 schools. (IFRC, 13 Mar 2023)

At least 3 million people affected by the earthquakes are in the Idleb province. More than 4,500 deaths and more than 8,700 injuries due to the earthquakes have been reported in north-west Syria, as of 13 March, according to the Health Cluster. At least 148 cities and towns in north-west Syria have been affected by the earthquakes. The districts with the highest number of deaths and injuries, as of 13 March, are Harim and Afrin. Two-thirds of all injuries were reported in Harim. As of 14 March, 1,869 buildings have been completely destroyed and 8,731 buildings have been partially destroyed. Some 57 per cent of partial and fully destroyed buildings were reported in Harim and Afrin. (OCHA, 15 Mar 2023)

2.3 million people [in Türkiye] have been identified as living in formal and informal settlements across earthquake affected areas as of 16 March. Out of this number, 1.6 million have been identified to be living in informal settlements. (OCHA, 17 Mar 2023)