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Turkey-Syria earthquake updates: Death toll climbs to over 41,000

February 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — More than 41,000 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Feb. 6, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.

The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll continued to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.

Here’s how the news developed. All times Eastern:

Feb 14, 1:16 PM EST
Death toll reaches 41,000

The total number of deaths in Turkey and Syria rose to at least 41,219 on Tuesday.

There were 35,418 people killed in Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Syria, the death toll currently stands at 5,801 in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

The death toll in Turkey is now more than the 1939 Erzincan earthquake, the previous record for most deaths due to an earthquake in modern Turkish history.

Feb 13, 6:28 PM EST
UNICEF warns of dire situation for children in Turkey, Syria

One week after a devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, millions of children remain in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, according to a report from UNICEF.

Roughly 4.6 million children are living in quake affected areas in Turkey and another 2.5 million children are living in the affected areas of Syria, the agency said.

UNICEF officials said the number of children killed and injured during the quakes hasn’t been confirmed but is “likely to be in the many thousands.”

The agency said there hundreds of thousands of families who lost their homes, and many are left in the cold with little infrastructure support.

“We must do everything in our power to ensure that everyone who survived this catastrophe receives life-saving support, including safe water, sanitation, critical nutrition and health supplies, and support for children’s mental health. Not only now, but over the long term,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.

-ABC News’ William Gretsky

Feb 13, 4:13 PM EST
Syria opens 2 more border crossings

Syria has opened two more border crossings from Turkey for the next three months to help with the influx of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

“Delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “Opening these crossing points — along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs — will allow more aid to go in, faster.”

Feb 13, 12:59 PM EST
Death toll climbs over 37,000 in Turkey, Syria

The earthquake death toll has now climbed to at least 37,357 in Turkey and Syria.

At least 31,643 people have been killed in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 5,714 people were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

Feb 13, 6:38 AM EST
More than 100 arrest warrants issued in Turkey over collapsed buildings

Turkish authorities have issued at least 113 arrest warrants as of Monday in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed in southeastern Turkey last week during the massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks.

The warrants are targeting contractors who are allegedly linked to the collapsed buildings.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Feb 13, 6:30 AM EST
Death toll reaches 36,000 in Turkey, Syria

Last week’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 31,643 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 4,581 people were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Feb 12, 2:09 PM EST
Death toll surpasses 33,000 in Turkey, Syria

More than 33,000 people are dead in Turkey and Syria as a result of last week’s earthquake and aftershocks, officials said.

At least 29,605 people had died in Turkey, officials announced Sunday. More than 3,500 have died in Syria, local officials said late Sunday.

Another 80,000 people have been injured, officials said.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres

Feb 11, 9:36 AM EST
Death toll rises to over 25,000 in Turkey, Syria

Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed more than 25,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

“In addition to the already collapsed buildings, the other ones whose number can be expressed in hundreds of thousands have also become uninhabitable due to their damages. So far, the total loss of life in the earthquake area has reached 21,043 and the number of injured rose to 80,097,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.

121 citizens were pulled alive from the rubble over the past 24 hours, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.

In Syria, the death toll has risen to over 3,500.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres

Feb 10, 12:45 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 22,000 in Turkey, Syria

Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have claimed at least 22,895 lives.

In Turkey, at least 19,388 people were killed and more than 77,000 others were injured, according to officials.

Meanwhile, at least 3,507 people were killed and 7,115 others were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

Feb 09, 5:57 PM EST
121 Turkish citizens rescued in past 24 hours, official says

As the desperate search for survivors continues, 121 Turkish citizens have been pulled from the rubble alive in the past 24 hours, Vice President Fuat Oktay said Thursday.

The search and rescue operations in Kilis and Şanlıurfa provinces have been completed, and they are almost complete in Adana, Osmaniye and Diyarbakır provinces, Oktay said.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 09, 4:54 PM EST
More than 21,000 killed

More than 21,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria since a massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks rocked the region on Monday, according to officials. At least 17,674 were killed in Turkey while another 3,377 lives were lost in Syria.

The Associated Press reported that the rising death toll is now higher than the number of people who died as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region, which caused the nuclear accident in Fukushima.

Feb 09, 3:55 PM EST
USAID announces $85 million for earthquake relief

The United States Agency for International Development is providing $85 million in “urgent humanitarian assistance” that will go toward shelter, “food, medicine and other desperately needed aid to those in need” in Turkey and Syria, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced Thursday on Twitter.

This comes as American responders are “leading the search for survivors” in Adiyaman, Turkey, said USAID spokesperson Jessica Jennings.

“Using sensitive cameras, listening devices, and search-and-rescue dogs, the team is able to target their search for survivors more accurately,” she said.

In Syria, Jennings said access to some of the hardest-hit areas remains “extremely challenging” due to damage to infrastructure, the security situation and weather concerns. However, she said that as of Thursday, one USAID partner was able to move six truckloads of supplies into the country.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Feb 09, 1:46 PM EST
Syria in need of more help: ‘It’s like a drop in the ocean’

Members of the International Medical Corps dispatched to impacted areas of Syria have “started crying on the phone when I asked them what it was like,” Wafaa Sadek, country director for International Medical Corps in Syria, told ABC News.

“People everywhere on the streets. The weather is absolutely freezing. They don’t have anywhere to go. The children are screaming. Adults screaming,” Sadek said. “The situation is very, very bad.”

Sadek said her team told her of a little girl in Aleppo who was shouting, “Please, somebody get me out! I will serve you for the rest of my life, just get me out of here, please.”

Sadek said she wants to see more international help for Syria. She’s calling for sanctions to be lifted so more aid can get through.

“This is a humanitarian crisis,” Sadek said. “We should put our differences aside.”

Sadek stressed, “Syria is very much in need. The help which has come from all the over the world is much appreciated, but we really need a lot more. It’s like a drop in the ocean.”

-ABC News’ Zoe Magee

Feb 09, 12:21 PM EST
More than 20,000 killed

More than 20,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria since a massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks rocked the region on Monday, according to officials. At least 16,710 were killed in Turkey while another 3,317 lives were lost in Syria.

Feb 09, 5:49 AM EST
Death toll exceeds 17,000 in Turkey, Syria

Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 14,014 people and injured more than 63,000 others in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Meanwhile, at least 3,162 were killed and over 5,600 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

Feb 08, 10:32 PM EST
CAIR-NY says former board member and his family were killed in earthquake

The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ New York chapter tweeted Wednesday that a former board member, Burak Firik, along with his wife and two children were killed in Turkey during the earthquake.

A CAIR-NY representative told ABC News that the family, from Queens, was in Turkey to take care of Firik’s father, who was having health issues.

Feb 08, 8:20 PM EST
Death toll surpasses 15,000

Turkey Emergency Management (AFAD) is reporting 12,391 deaths from the earthquake in Turkey, while the Syrian Health Ministry and White Helmets say 2,962 people are dead in Syria.

According to Turkey Emergency Management, there have been 62,914 people injured in Turkey.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Feb 08, 5:21 PM EST
3 Americans killed in Turkey by earthquake: State Department

Three U.S. citizens have been identified as among the more than 12,000 victims of the devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria this week, the State Department confirmed Wednesday.

“We can confirm reports of at least three U.S. citizens killed in southeastern Türkiye,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Our staff in Türkiye and here in the United States are working tirelessly to provide consular assistance to these victims and their family members.”

The State Department is working closely with local authorities and other partner organizations to assist U.S. citizens in affected areas, the spokesperson added.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Feb 08, 2:57 PM EST
Death toll tops 12,000 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll in Monday’s earthquake is now up to 12,019, according to authorities in Turkey and Syria.

The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 9,057 people and injured 40,910 others in southeastern Turkey, according to the Turkey Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 2,962 were killed and 4,654 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky

Feb 08, 2:41 PM EST
Biden offers ‘deepest condolences’ to Turkey, Syria

President Joe Biden offered his thoughts and prayers on behalf of Americans following the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria during an event in Wisconsin Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s one of the worst earthquakes in that region in over 100 years and we mourn the loss of so many lives and we offer our deepest condolences,” he said.

Biden also commented on the “amazing” rescue efforts underway.

“You see dads or moms pulling little babies out from underneath this rubble,” he said. “So many people dying. And our thoughts are also with the survivors who’ve been torn apart by this tragedy.”

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Feb 08, 12:50 PM EST
Turkey stock exchange suspended

Istanbul’s stock exchange operator suspended trading for five days in an unprecedented step and announced that all trades that took place on Wednesday would be canceled in the wake of the earthquake.

“Due to the increase in volatility and extraordinary price movements after the earthquake disaster; in order to ensure the reliable, transparent, efficient, stable, fair and competitive functioning of the markets, Equity Market and Equity & Index Derivatives in the Derivatives Market have been closed,” Borsa Istanbul, the stock exchange operator, said in a statement on Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 08, 10:46 AM EST
Death toll tops 11,500 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll in Monday’s earthquake is now up to 11,577, according to authorities in Turkey and Syria.

Meanwhile, at least 2,520 were killed and 4,654 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Feb 08, 9:16 AM EST
Over 600 aftershocks since Monday’s quake

Since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey before dawn on Monday, there have been a total of at least 648 aftershocks in the region.

Feb 08, 6:17 AM EST
Death toll tops 11,000 in Turkey, Syria

Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 8,574 people and injured 40,910 others in southeastern Turkey, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Meanwhile, at least 2,520 were killed and 4,654 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

Feb 07, 10:42 PM EST
CENTCOM prepares to support quake relief efforts

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that it is prepared to support the earthquake relief efforts.

CENTCOM said it’s working with U.S. European Command to work through options to send support to the hard-hit country.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Feb 07, 10:31 PM EST
70 countries, 14 international organizations offer aid to Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that approximately 70 countries and 14 international organizations have offered aid to Turkey.

The United Nations announced a $25 million grant from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund to help “provide urgent life-saving assistance in the region,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general of the United Nations, said Tuesday.

The U.S. is sending two American urban search and rescue teams with 170,000 pounds of specialized tools and equipment to impacted regions in Turkey.

According to the E.U., 19 member countries, including Croatia, Estonia, France, Spain and Greece, have offered support to Turkey.

Greece sent a team of 21 rescuers, two rescue dogs and a special rescue vehicle, along with a structural engineer, five doctors and seismic planning experts in a military transport plane to Turkey, according to The Associated Press.

Israel sent the IDF Medical and a delegation from the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health to southern Turkey on Wednesday to create a “field hospital” and provide additional support.

According to the Russian news service Interfax, Russia sent rescue teams from the Emergency Ministry to help with cleanup efforts in Syria on Tuesday.

China will provide $6 million in aid to Turkey, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. The country will also deploy “heavy urban rescue teams and medical teams” to provide “relief materials urgently needed” by the Turkish.

Mexico sent rescue teams to Turkey to assist with humanitarian recovery efforts from the earthquake, including 16 of their search and rescue dogs.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman, Jordana Miller, Shannon Crawford, Christine Theodorou, Natalia Shumskaia, Anastasia Bagaeva and Emma Ogao

Feb 07, 4:17 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 7,700 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll from Monday’s earthquake is now 7,766 according to officials.

The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 5,894 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 1,872 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 07, 3:45 PM EST
Baby born in earthquake rubble in Syria

A baby girl has been rescued after she was born amid the earthquake rubble in Jindires, Syria, according to The Associated Press.

None of her family survived, according to the AP.

Feb 07, 3:43 PM EST
4-year-old girl pulled from rubble

A 4 year-old girl has been pulled from the rubble of a destroyed building, 42 hours after the devastating earthquake struck.

The little girl, named Beyza, is in good health, the Antalya Municipality Search and Rescue Team told ABC News.

Her parents remain trapped in the building.

-ABC News’ Marcus Moore

Feb 07, 3:09 PM EST
American search and rescue teams to start work Wednesday

Stephen Allen, USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team leader for the agency’s earthquake response, said his top priority is getting two American urban search and rescue teams to the region.

“Every hour does count in the first few days,” he said.

The responders are en route to Turkey, where they are expected to land at Incirlik Air Base in Adana Wednesday morning local time, Allen said. They’ll immediately start the long journey to Adıyaman, a city in southeastern Turkey that’s been heavily impacted by the quake, but has not had access to many search and rescue teams, Allen said.

The Americans are bringing about 170,000 pounds of specialized tools and equipment, including hydraulic concrete breaking gear, saws, torches, drills and advanced medical supplies to treat and triage the wounded, he said. They will also have about a dozen dogs who Allen said will play a “very key” role in looking for survivors strapped in the rubble.

Sending search and rescue teams to a disaster site so far away is “not something that we would normally do, frankly,” he said, however Turkey officials asked for assistance because its own considerable national search and rescue capabilities are outmatched by the “size and scale” of the devastation.

“I do need to emphasize the level of devastation, the level of damage, and the expected result in loss of life is massive. It’s massive,” he said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Feb 07, 2:37 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 7,000 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll from Monday’s earthquake is now 7,266, according to officials.

The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 5,434 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 1,832 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 07, 1:24 PM EST
Mexico sends rescue dogs to Turkey

Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard tweeted photos and videos of rescue dogs headed from Mexico to Turkey to help with the rescue operations.

Feb 07, 1:08 PM EST
Major port suffers damage in earthquake

The Port of Iskenderun in southern Turkey sustained heavy damage on Monday.

The port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Turkey and neighboring Syria.

“The Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice, as teams look to repair the significant damage caused by the disaster and subsequent fire,” shipping group AP Moller Maersk said in a statement Tuesday. “We are currently unable to say exactly how long operations will be stopped at the port, but we will keep customers informed of the latest developments as soon as possible.”

Maersk said it was not accepting any new bookings to or from the port and were developing contingency plans with nearby hubs.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 07, 12:41 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 6,200 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll from Monday’s earthquake is now 6,256, according to officials.

The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 4,544 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 1,712 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 07, 11:02 AM EST
Professional soccer player among the injured

Christian Atsu, a professional soccer player for the Turkish team Hatayspor, was among the more than 8,000 people rescued from the rubble in Turkey, according to his team.

Atsu was injured in the quake. The sporting director for Atsu’s team remains under the rubble, according to a team vice president.

Atsu was on Ghana’s 2014 World Cup team and also played for Newcastle United in the English Premier League.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 07, 9:16 AM EST
150,000 people left homeless in Turkey

At least 150,000 people in Turkey have been left homeless due to Monday’s deadly earthquake and aftershocks, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Feb 07, 9:13 AM EST
Twenty-three million people affected in Turkey, Syria

Some 23 million people in Turkey and Syria have been affected by Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks, according to Turkish and Syrian authorities.

About 13.5 million of them are in Turkey, according to Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by snow and freezing temperatures in the 10 affected Turkish provinces, Kurum said during a press conference Tuesday in the city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicenter.

Feb 07, 9:00 AM EST
Turkey declares three-month state of emergency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared a disaster zone in the 10 southeastern provinces affected by the devastating earthquakes, imposing a state of emergency in the region for at least three months.

Erdogan said 70 countries have offered to help with the search and rescue operations in Turkey and that his government plans to open up hotels in the southwestern resort city of Antalya to temporarily house people impacted by the disaster.

Feb 07, 7:32 AM EST
Over 8,000 people rescued in Turkey

More than 8,000 people have been rescued in southeastern Turkey since a powerful earthquake and aftershocks struck the region, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Some 24,000 first responders are on the ground, including more than 3,200 first responders from 14 other countries who traveled to Turkey to assist with the massive search and rescue effort following Monday’s quake. They are carefully combing through the wreckage and looking for survivors amid the 6,000 buildings that have been either damaged or destroyed, according to Oktay.

Feb 07, 7:04 AM EST
Death toll tops 5,000

Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 3,419 people and injured another 20,534 in southeastern Turkey, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced during a press conference on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at least 1,603 were killed and 3,649 injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health, the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

Feb 07, 6:41 AM EST
ABC News witnesses rescue operation in Diyarbakir, Turkey

More than 24 hours after devastating earthquakes, ABC News reporters on the ground are witnessing the fevered effort to rescue survivors at a collapsed apartment building in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.

ABC News learned that crews had recently rescued a woman from what used to be an eight-story apartment building, where the top half now rests on three flattened floors below. The front wall had fallen away, exposing what used to be homes with furniture, pillows and air conditioning units.

In and around the collapsed building, there was a flurry of activity — but then a moment when it all came to a grinding halt. Generators were turned off, everyone stopped talking and the block went silent. Search and rescue teams thought they may have found another survivor. It was quiet for several minutes, but then the urgent effort returns.

Rescuers continued working in the cold, wet weather while also facing the threat of aftershocks. None of that has deterred them. They know this is a race against time.

Feb 06, 9:39 PM EST
More than 4,000 people dead in Turkey, Syria following earthquake: AFAD

The death toll continues to climb in Turkey and Syria 24 hours after the earthquake struck.

More than 4,300 people have died in the two countries following the devastating earthquake, officials said.

According to the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management Organization (AFAD), 2,921 people have died in the country from the earthquake, with 15,834 people sustaining injuries.

Approximately 6,217 buildings have collapsed and about 7,840 people have been rescued from the debris and rubble, according to AFAD officials.

In Syria, 1,411 people have died since the earthquake struck the region, officials said.

Feb 06, 6:12 PM EST
Biden calls Erdogan, offers support following quake

President Biden called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this afternoon, following the earthquake that caused devastation in Turkey and Syria, the White House said.

Biden extended condolences and “reaffirmed the readiness of the United States to provide any and all needed assistance to our NATO Ally [Turkey] in response to this tragedy,” according to the White House.

“[Biden] noted that U.S. teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,” the White House said.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 06, 5:16 PM EST
No US citizens among Turkey casualties so far: State Dept.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday that while the department has not confirmed that any Americans were killed in the recent earthquakes abroad, officials were “realistic” about the high chances of that changing.

“We’re all very sober about the implications of this and the fact that many countries, many nationalities are likely to be implicated just given the massive toll and destruction that this earthquake has cost,” Price said.

In the meantime, he confirmed that all State Department staff in Turkey are accounted for.

The American consulate in Adana, Turkey, would be able to host first responders coming in from foreign countries, Price added.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Feb 06, 4:54 PM EST
13,000 injured in Turkey

As the death toll climbs to 2,316 in Turkey, another 13,000 people in the country are reported to be injured, according to Turkish Emergency Management.

At least 5,606 buildings in Turkey have been completely destroyed, according to Turkish Emergency Management.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 06, 4:25 PM EST
Death toll climbs to 3,700

At least 3,727 lives have been lost in the devastating quake.

The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 2,379 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to Turkish Emergency Management.

In Syria, at least 1,411 people died in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 06, 2:04 PM EST
Death toll climbs over 2,700

At least 2,701 lives have been lost in the devastating quake.

The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,651 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to Turkish Emergency Management.

In Syria, at least 1,050 people died in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.

Feb 06, 1:28 PM EST
Turkey declares seven days of mourning

Turkey has declared a seven-day mourning period in the wake of the devastating quake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

“Our flag will be hoisted at half-mast until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023, in all our country and foreign representations,” Erdogan said.

More than 3,400 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed and over 11,000 people are hurt, according to Turkish officials.

Feb 06, 1:19 PM EST
US deploying two search and rescue teams

The U.S. is deploying two 79-person urban search and rescue teams to Turkey, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

“The president has authorized an immediate U.S. response. So right now, in addition to personnel currently on the ground, we are in the process of deploying additional teams, including two 79-person urban search and rescue teams, to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and to help address the needs of all those who have been hurt or displaced by the earthquake,” Kirby said.

Feb 06, 12:40 PM EST
Death toll nears 2,500

At least 2,494 people have died in Turkey and Syria.

The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,651 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency.

In Syria, at least 843 people have been killed in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.

Feb 06, 11:34 AM EST
No casualties on US base

There are no known casualties among U.S. personnel assigned to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, and no major damage to facilities, a base spokesperson told ABC News.

The base is roughly 125 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.

The 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik “is still mission operational,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The Air Force is prepared to assist Turkey if called upon, according to the spokesperson.

Feb 06, 11:03 AM EST
More than 4,200 buildings destroyed

More than 2,800 buildings across Turkey have been completely destroyed, according to Turkey’s Emergency Management Agency, while over 1,400 buildings were demolished in Syria, according the Syrian Civil Defense Agency.

At least 45 nations have pledged to send volunteers and other aid to Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Feb 06, 10:45 AM EST
Death toll climbs to 2,300

At least 2,343 people have died in Turkey and Syria.

The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,500 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency.

In Syria, at least 843 people have been killed in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.

Feb 06, 9:54 AM EST
Biden ‘deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation’

President Joe Biden tweeted that he’s “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation” from the earthquake.

“I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkey and provide any and all needed assistance,” he tweeted.

Feb 06, 9:14 AM EST
UK deploys emergency response teams to Turkey

The United Kingdom announced Monday it is “immediately” deploying emergency response teams to Turkey to assist rescue efforts following a deadly earthquake and powerful aftershocks.

According to a press release from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, 76 U.K. search and rescue specialists, four search dogs as well as rescue equipment will arrive in Turkey on Monday evening. A U.K. emergency medical team is also being sent to assess the situation on the ground.

“We stand ready to provide further support as needed,” U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.

In northwestern Syria, where the quake was also felt, the U.K.-aid funded volunteer organization White Helmets has activated a significant search and rescue response and mobilized all its resources to respond to emerging needs. The U.K. government is in contact with the United Nations on emergency humanitarian support to those affected in Syria, according to the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

“The British Embassy in Ankara is in close contact with the Turkish authorities to understand how we can best support those on the ground,” Jill Morris, British Ambassador-Designate to Türkiye said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquakes today We pay tribute to the brave Turkish first responders working to save lives.”

The U.K. government’s announcement came on the heels of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) declaring a “level 4 alarm” in the wake of the pre-dawn earthquake, calling for international assistance.

Feb 06, 7:25 AM EST
Monday’s quake was as powerful as the strongest ever recorded in Turkey

Monday’s deadly earthquake in Turkey, which was felt in Syria and other surrounding countries, was as strong as the most powerful one on record in Turkish history.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Turkey in 1939, killing approximately 30,000 people. Monday’s quake in southeastern Turkey had the same magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Earthquakes frequently occur in Turkey, which is situated on top of major fault lines.

Some 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.

Feb 06, 7:02 AM EST
7.5 magnitude aftershock hits Turkey

Several hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey early Monday, a powerful aftershock measuring 7.5 hit the country’s Kahramanmaras province around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Feb 06, 5:42 AM EST
Death toll jumps to over 1,200 in Turkey, Syria

Monday’s earthquake has killed at least 912 people in several Turkish provinces and injured 5,382 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced during a press conference.

Thousands of buildings were destroyed, Erdogan said.

Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, is deploying 1,898 search and rescue workers along with 150 vehicles in response to the deadly earthquake. Turkey’s national police force has deployed 130 tactical unit members with mobile command centers and kitchens to the city of Kahramanmaras, near the quake’s epicenter. A total of 300,000 blankets were also sent to the region, which is deep in winter weather.

Meanwhile, at least 239 people were killed and some 600 were injured in government-held areas of Syria, according to Syrian state media. In rebel-controlled areas, at least 147 people were killed, according to the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom-based monitoring group, put the overall death toll at 320.

Feb 06, 12:12 AM EST
US ‘profoundly concerned’ by ‘destructive earthquake’ in Turkey, Syria

The United States “is profoundly concerned” by the reports of the “destructive earthquake” in Turkey and Syria, and “will continue to closely monitor the situation,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement late Sunday night.

“We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance,” Sullivan added, noting that U.S. President Joe Biden “has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected.”

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake in Turkey at magnitude of 7.8.

-ABC News’ Lauren Minore

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Bakhmut falling won’t have ‘strategic impact,’ US says

February 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House

White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”

“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”

He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.

The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.

“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander

Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.

“This help is crucial for us,” he said.

Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.

“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone

Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine

Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.

“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.

Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.

“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Ukrainian refugees compete in Canadian peewee hockey tournament while war rages back home

February 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — For a group of 18 Ukrainian boys, thoughts of being separated from family and their home country, which has now faced almost a year of brutal war combating Russia’s invasion, faded for a few brief moments at the Quebec City Videotron Centre on Saturday night.

The group, who had been traveling for weeks from different eastern European countries to play at the 63rd annual International Peewee Hockey Tournament in Quebec City, Canada, were focused on one thing: winning.

And win they did.

With 18,000 spectators packing the stadium, many wearing white to show support for peace in Ukraine, the pre-teen hockey players scored two goals in the final few minutes of the game, beating the Boston Junior Bruins with a 3-1 score.

But this game is only round one. The team advanced to round two on Monday, beating the Romanian Selects youth team 2-0. The Ukrainian team will play their next game Friday morning.

Ukrainian Selects, the peewee hockey team sponsored by Canadian hosts, is made up of Ukrainian refugees ages 11 to 13 who have been playing hockey since they were toddlers. More than half of the team’s players have fathers currently fighting against the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

The International Peewee Hockey Tournament, held in Quebec every year, is one of the largest in the world. Over 120 teams from more than 40 countries participate in the event.

Matviy Kulish, 13, who started playing hockey when he was about 4 or 5, has lived in the Czech Republic and France since the Ukraine-Russia war began last year. When he heard about the opportunity to play in the tournament in Canada, he couldn’t wait to go.

“It was my dream [to play] since I watched elder boys born in 2006 when they were participating in this tournament. I was waiting for this day to come,” Kulish told ABC News.

Kulish’s father is fighting against the Russian invasion in Ukraine while Kulish and his mother live in France. Kulish said he speaks to his father “once every three days.”

“Usually, I say to him, asking how is it going and he is answering — hi, everything is fine. I am alive,” Kulish said. “He also wants us to win this tournament. He worries about me.”

When Kulish’s father, Andriy Kulish, heard that his son and the team won the first game in the tournament, he told ABC News, “good job! I am so proud of them!”

The International Peewee Hockey Tournament is considered the world championship for this age group in hockey, volunteer manager and team sponsor Sean Bérubé told ABC News.

When war broke out in Ukraine last February, Bérubé contacted his host family he lived with in the country 28 years earlier and helped them escape. Bérubé contacted a friend in Romania to help coordinate getting the host family out of Ukraine through Romania.

After helping the couple escape, the Romanian friend and former hockey teammate, Yevgeniy Pysarenko, asked Bérubé to sponsor a Romanian hockey team. Bérubé said he would sponsor a team, but only if they were made up of Ukrainian refugees.

Pysarenko “took it seriously and got back to me a few months later with the same request,” Bérubé said. After that, Ukrainian Selects was born.

Bérubé has helped put the team together — covering the cost of the travel for the boys from Europe to Quebec City, finding host families for the boys to stay with while in Canada, organizing practices, finding coaches and even hosting a meeting between the boys and the U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

Co-captain of Ukrainian Selects, Olivier Hubert-Benoit, joined the effort when he heard what Bérubé was doing. Hubert-Benoit is also hosting one of the players while they are in Canada.

“When I heard the news that Sean was bringing a team, he was working hard to make it happen, I called Sean to let him know that I will give him full my time to make this project happen,” Hubert-Benoit told ABC News.

For most of the boys, competing in the tournament is also their first time visiting Canada.

Kulish finds Canada to be a “very nice country. Unusual but lovely,” he said. Kulish would like to train more and come back to Canada to possibly graduate from “the school in here and receive a sport scholarship at the local university,” he said.

While some of the players are interested in returning to Canada to pursue hockey, others would like to go back to Ukraine.

Mykyta Staskevych, 12, is currently living in Slovakia with his mom and playing hockey there while his father fights in the war. Staskevych said his year has been “full of good memories,” spending time in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania, but “I want to go home.”

“After this tournament, I would like to return home and play hockey in Ukraine,” Staskevych told ABC News. “But I will go to Slovakia instead and will play there at the moment.”

Staskevych’s father, Vyacheslav Staskevych, is currently fighting the Russian invasion in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Staskevych started playing hockey when he was 4 at his mother’s insistence because she thought it would teach him discipline, and he quickly fell in love with the sport. Staskevych and his parents lived in Dnipro before the war started, his father said.

“Now he cannot imagine himself without hockey.” Vyacheslav Staskevych told ABC News. “When I found out that my son was going to the tournament in Quebec, I was in the east of the country. I was filled with a sense of pride, joy, and excitement.”

Vyacheslav Staskevych and his fellow soldiers recorded a message of support for his son and the rest of the team before the first game, wishing them luck.

“We are proud of you that you will go to Canada to defend our Ukraine with hockey sticks,” the group of soldiers from the 231st battalion, which Vyacheslav is a part of, said in the video message in Ukrainian. “We wish you success, victories and incredible impressions!”

For the fathers on the frontlines and the boys thousands of miles away getting ready to play another hockey game, it’s hard to tune out the realities of war. Even though the boys’ days are filled with hockey practice and preparing for the tournament, the war goes on. And the boys’ fathers keep fighting.

Vyacheslav Staskevych said he’s grateful for the people who have supported the Ukrainian hockey players.

“I would like to thank the organizers of the tournament for supporting Ukrainian hockey players and the development of youth hockey,” Vyacheslav Staskevych said. “I also want to thank all the caring people who support and provide assistance to Ukraine, Ukrainians and the military. Victory will be ours! Glory to Ukraine!”

‘It was a trap’: Video shows American volunteer likely killed by guided missile in ‘deliberate’ Russian attack

February 13, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(KYIV, Ukraine) — The video is only about a second long but it captures the killing of American medic volunteer Pete Reed and a Ukrainian woman he was treating in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine which has been the target of a bloody Russian assault for months.

When watched frame-by-frame, the footage is revealing.

A low-flying missile can be seen hurtling toward Reed’s white van ambulance which was parked at the scene.

The images show that Reed was not killed by Russian shelling, as eyewitnesses had previously thought.

Military experts say the missile visible in the footage bears all the hallmarks of an anti-tank laser-guided missile. Reed’s colleagues say the video, together with firsthand witness accounts, show that the group of international medics was deliberately targeted.

“They were hunting us down,” said Erko Laidinen, a 35-year-old Estonian medic whose camera recorded the missile and the explosion.

When Laidinen’s team of medics arrived at the scene on Feb. 2 to treat a Ukrainian woman who had been injured by shelling, another team led by Reed was already there.

Less than 10 seconds later, the missile struck Reed’s white van.

At that moment Laidinen was still inside his team’s van ambulance, which he said was clearly marked with large medical-style crosses and was parked a short distance away.

The Estonian medic had turned his camera on a second before the explosion. Reed is clearly visible.

He is standing by his ambulance, alongside his fellow medics. Next to him was the woman he was about to treat.

Then a low-flying missile shoots in from right to left. ABC News has watched and verified the video.

“It was the worst two seconds of my life,” Laidinen said as he described the moment after the explosion.

He then heard one of his team members scream.

“I got relief,” he recalled. “It was not nice, but you could verify (his colleague) was alive.”

Laidinen said he and his colleagues, who were badly injured, quickly took cover inside a building. He believes the team of international medics were then repeatedly targeted by Russian forces, even after the initial missile attack.

His camera had crashed to the ground in the initial explosion, as Laidinen had exited his vehicle to take cover.

The camera’s image for the next 20 minutes is just black; however, it still recorded multiple nearby explosions which Laidinen believes were incoming Russian mortars.

Laidinen said he has additional dash cam footage that captures both the missile hitting Reed’s ambulance as well as a second missile being fired at a vehicle, which was being used to evacuate casualties from the scene.

That second missile, he said, missed its target and hit a nearby residential building.

The dash cam video has not yet been published but Laidinen said it has been handed over to Ukrainian police and war crimes prosecutors, as well as the Estonian and U.S. authorities.

“The low, flat trajectory” of the missile “and the fact that it was slow enough to be captured on video” suggest it was an anti-tank guided missile, according to Steve Ganyard, an ABC News contributor and a retired colonel. Ganyard has viewed the images.

Laidinen said it was obvious the team of international volunteers were medics working on the scene.

The cross on the back of Reed’s ambulance was covered with dirt but crosses were visible on the side and front of that van, as well as on all sides of Laidinen’s vehicle, he said.

As the video shows, Reed’s team was dressed in civilian clothing. Laidinen said one team member did have on a camouflage-type jacket.

It took Laidinen two days to retrieve his phone and watch the video back.

It then hit home “how dangerous it is” for a volunteer working near the front lines in Ukraine, he said.

“You can easily identify the missile in the picture,” he said.

There is no question for him that they were deliberately “targeted,” Laidinen insisted.

“It is laser guided. There is nothing to debate,” he said.

Laidinen said the Russian military would have known that a team of medics would have been responding to a civilian casualty on the scene.

“They waited for us. They knew we were coming, that we were responding,” he said. “It was a trap.”

Turkish officials arrest building developers following earthquake

February 13, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(GAZIANTEP, Turkey) — The political fallout from last week’s massive earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border has already begun, according to experts.

Over the weekend, Turkish officials announced arrests against building developers following an outcry from residents about poor building construction that led to more than 30,000 deaths in the country.

ABC News’ Ibtissem Guenfoud, who has been on location in Turkey since the hours after this quake, spoke with “Start Here” Monday about these developments.

START HERE: Ibtissem, what types of charges are we seeing here?

IBTISSEM GUENFOUD: Yes. So, Brad, at least two property developers have already been arrested at airports. Prosecutors are accusing them of trying to flee the country. Yavuz Karakus is a contractor of many of the collapsed buildings in Adiyaman, and that’s one of the cities near the epicenter of that earthquake that has seen some of the biggest, most shocking damage that our team has seen here on the ground. And he’s been arrested while he was trying, allegedly, to escape to Georgia. Another contractor was a contractor over a 14-story luxury apartment building in Hatay, another hard-hit area here in Turkey.

Many local outlets reported here that this contractor was also arrested while trying to flee the country.

You’re seeing here a lot of anger and frustration over building standards, although the quakes were powerful. Some experts have already come out saying that properly constructed buildings should have been able to stay standing. And we have spoken here to disaster responders, volunteers from AFAD, it’s a government disaster response organization, and they’re used to dealing with this type of event. They told us that the problem is in part with the lack of structural components. Indeed, we’ve seen ourselves the debris in Adiyaman, mainly. We’ve seen collapsed buildings. And you can clearly tell that it’s just bricks. They were just made of bricks. There was clearly no or very little structural fixative, no steel to reinforce the concrete. And these disaster responders also told us that when there is iron or steel to reinforce it, the diameter of that iron used is often too small to be effective.

So there is an issue here on the quality of the building components used, a quality that is below what is required by the law and by these codes that were supposed to ensure that in earthquake-prone regions those buildings could stand that type of event. And of course, these volunteers also pointed to the corruption, saying that some of these buildings simply shouldn’t be built so high, according to regulations. But bribes are often used to counter these restrictions.

START HERE: I’m trying to get a sense of is this the government, you know, saying these people are trying to flee the country, “We need to issue charges sooner than later?” Or is it the government realizing, “Hey, we’re politically vulnerable right now and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying people are angry right now, they’re going to start being angry at us if we don’t do something, let’s really focus on the contractors?”

GUENFOUD: Yes, absolutely. They are realizing that this is turning quickly into a situation that they have to manage. People are desperate, but they are getting angry now.

Many locals…told us that for the first few days, they were on their own trying to save their neighbors or their relatives on their own, digging through the rubble. And that frustration over the rescue efforts was for the first few days, very strong. And then now there’s another layer of frustration on top of that, because there’s this feeling that so many lives didn’t have to be lost or endangered. And in fact, there could have been help and now the authorities are cracking down on those developers.

In fact, this is a critical issue now, because we are only three months from presidential elections. President Erdogan visited some of those hard-hit areas and pledged to rebuild. These cities are, in fact, usually firmly in his party stronghold, but [with] this earthquake happening now, these calls against corruption are concerns for this government that might try to prove itself now. In fact, there are concerns now that Erdogan might even try to move the elections, blaming it on the need to focus on the recovery after this earthquake.

Turkey-Syria earthquake live updates: Death toll reaches 37,000

February 13, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — More than 37,000 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Feb. 6, according to officials.

The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.