Quake Hits Turkey – Syria
A huge earthquake struck south-jap Turkey, close to the Syrian border, withinside the early hours of Monday morning, killing tens of thousands of people and injuring tens of thousands more.
The earthquake, which struck near the town of Gaziantep, was quickly followed by a series of aftershocks, one of which was nearly as powerful as the first.
The first earthquake was significant, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale and classified as “major” on the official scale. It ruptured along a 100km (62 miles) fault line, causing significant damage to buildings nearby.
But it is not just the tremor’s power that causes devastation. This happened in the early hours of the morning when people were sleeping inside.
The buildings’ strength is excellent. In the past, plate friction was responsible for devastating earthquakes. It caused an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 on August 13, 1822, which was significantly less than the 7.8 magnitudes recorded.
Even so, the 19th-century earthquake caused massive damage to towns in the area, with 7,000 people killed in Aleppo alone. Aftershocks were devastating for nearly a year.
Following the current earthquake, there have already been several aftershocks, and scientists predict that it will follow the same pattern as the previous major earthquake in the region.
Five days after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Turkey and Syria, the death toll is staggering. Drone footage and satellite imagery have revealed the stark reality of widespread.
On Friday, the death toll surpassed the dreadful figure of 22,000 people. As it has risen, so have feelings of rage and resentment.
Turkey is no stranger to earthquakes, and many believe that the government failed to prepare for a new disaster.
Across the border in Syria, reconstruction efforts will be even more difficult. Syrians face “nightmares on top of nightmares,” according to Guterres, and the World Food Programme has described the situation in the country’s northwest as a “catastrophe on top of catastrophe.”
Due to the civil war that has ravaged Syria since 2011, the UN estimates that more than four million people are already dependent on humanitarian aid in the worst-affected areas of rebel-controlled Syria.
Political schisms run deep in Syria. The Assad regime controls some of the areas most affected by the earthquake, while others are controlled by Turkish and US-backed opposition forces, Kurdish rebels, and Sunni Islamist fighters.
These political schisms cause logistical tangles. Trying to negotiate with them will stymie recovery efforts. Sanctions have created geopolitical roadblocks that humanitarian aid must navigate.
The Assad regime insists that all aid to the country be directed to Damascus, including aid intended for areas outside its control.
According to a statement, the Syrian government approved sending aid into rebel territory in the northwest on Friday, but no timeline for delivery was provided.
However, the regime has long diverted aid meant for rebel-held areas. As a result, relief workers attempting to clear the rubble rely on resources delivered via a single road, the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which is the only humanitarian aid corridor connecting Turkey and Syria.
While natural disasters like this wreak havoc, they also create opportunities to prevent similar havoc from occurring in the future.
According to Chhibber, every natural disaster has a human component. Earthquakes are unavoidable; however, their consequences are not.
Chhibber stated that he witnessed this point demonstrated after the 1999 Izmit earthquake. “You’d have one building standing tall and the next building flat as a pancake.” The same sights can now be found in Gaziantep, Turkey.
Operation Dost
The seventh “Operation Dost” aircraft landed in earthquake-ravaged Syria, carrying more than 23 tonnes of relief aid.
According to the PTI, Moutaz Douaji, the deputy minister of local administration and the environment, welcomed the plane at Damascus International Airport on Sunday (February 12).
“The 7th #OperationDost flight arrived in Syria with over 23 tonnes of relief supplies, including generators, solar lamps, emergency, and critical care medicines, and disaster relief supplies.
Moutaz Douaji, Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment, met him at Damascus airport “Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted his support.
The IAF aircraft arrived in Syria on time, unloaded its supplies, and then flew to Turkey with emergency and critical care medicines, as well as other humanitarian supplies.
The Union Health Ministry announced today that India has sent emergency relief material worth more than Rs 7 crore to earthquake-ravaged Turkey and Syria.
“India is providing assistance to the two countries in the spirit of its age-old tradition of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, highlighting his ministry’s efforts in providing emergency relief material to Turkiye and Syria.
The ministry said in a statement that three truckloads of relief materials, including life-saving emergency medicines and protective items, were arranged at the Hindon air base within 12 hours on February 6.
India sends medical equipment worth over Rs 7 crore to Turkey and Syria. On February 10, a larger quantity of relief materials was arranged.
On February 10, a larger shipment of relief supplies was organized for both Turkey and Syria.
The shipment for Syria included 72 critical care drugs, consumables, and protective items totaling 7.3 tonnes and valued at 1.4 crores, while the shipment for Turkiye included 14 different types of medical and critical care equipment totaling 4 crores.
An Army team led by Captain Karan Singh and Sub PG Sapre created the system, which can be used by all defense and paramilitary forces to track team members and assets in battlefield areas.
Captain Singh is currently serving in Turkey as part of a disaster relief mission. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the aid being sent to Syria includes relief materials, sleeping mats, generators, solar lamps, tarpaulins, blankets, emergency and critical care medicines, and disaster relief consumables.
The IAF aircraft arrived in Syria on time, unloaded its supplies, and then flew to Turkey with emergency and critical care medicines, as well as other humanitarian supplies. S Jaishankar, the external affairs minister, also tweeted about the plane leaving Ghaziabad.
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