Israel Readies to Send Aid after Earthquake Rips through Turkey, Syria

February 6, 2023

by: JNS

Monday, 6 February 2023 | A massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake centered in southern Turkey killed more than 500 people combined in that country and Syria early on Monday, toppling buildings in both places and causing shockwaves felt across the region, including Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Israel.

Emergency medical services in both Turkey and Syria said that the death toll was expected to rise in both countries as hundreds of people potentially remained trapped under collapsed buildings.

The quake struck just after 4 a.m. local time, 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), and was followed 11 minutes later by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock, according to the US Geological Survey [USGS].

Israelis reported feeling the tremors in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and throughout the north.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday instructed his ministry and the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to immediately prepare for emergency assistance to be sent to Turkey under the auspices of the Home Front Command.

It was one of the strongest quakes to hit Turkey in the last 100 years, said the USGS, which recorded at least 19 additional quakes of 4.0-magnitude or greater in Turkey in the immediate hours following the major tremblor.

Posted on February 6, 2023

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on February 6, 2023. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Screenshot/jns.org