On the 6th of February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Türkiye and Western Syria. While rescue attempts on victims still trapped within buildings are ongoing, the death toll currently stands at 33 thousand people, making it the deadliest earthquake of the century in Türkiye, and the deadliest worldwide since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan. The grief caused by such widespread death is very likely to be felt within Britain, which is home to 500 thousand people of Turkish origin, and 150 thousand of Turkish nationals. It is therefore vital that the UK government does what it can to limit further suffering in the region.
Earthquakes usually occur along faultiness in the Earth’s crust. When tectonic plates catch as they move past each other, energy can be stored up which is then released in the form of an earthquake. When an earthquake strikes a populated region, people are most at risk of dying from being struck by the debris of collapsing buildings, or other infrastructure. When this earthquake struck, rescue efforts were quickly hampered by the arrival of a winter storm. This covered rubble in snow, making it harder to identify survivors, and dropped temperatures below freezing, putting many of those trapped at risk of hypothermia.
In addition to the deaths, tens of thousands of people have been injured, many requiring urgent medical attention which is difficult to give in the aftermath of the disaster. In addition, the scale of destruction means that the earthquake is likely to leave tens of thousands without homes, forcing them to rely on temporary shelter through an already tough winter. Overall, the effects of the earthquake are likely to impact the Southern regions of Türkiye for many months, and it will take an international effort to recover fully.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted:
“My thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valiantly to save those trapped by the earthquake. The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can”. He later contributed a 77-person strong rescue team to assist in the recovery of survivors trapped within destroyed buildings and pledged to support Turkish President Erdogan in any way he could.
In addition, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross also showed his support for search and rescue responders, saying:
“The situation in Türkiye and Syria today following the devastating earthquakes is awful to see. My condolences go to those who have lost loved ones and my thoughts are with the local and international emergency services working to rescue survivors”.
The earthquake which affected Türkiye and Syria will likely have consequences which will impact the region for at least the rest of the year, if not longer. The UK government has acted quickly and effectively in deploying search and rescue teams to the most affected areas and helping lead the international recovery effort. This support must continue to be given to the areas affected, to ensure that this humanitarian disaster is not made worse than it already is.