An earthquake starting in Kahramanmaraş has caused over 40,000 recorded deaths as of Feb. 14. Photo courtesy of IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation via Flickr.
Jendayi Leben-Martin ’24
Global Editor
On Feb. 9, 2023, an earthquake and subsequent tremor with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 respectively started in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey and rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria, Al Jazeera reported. BBC News explained that the earthquake, which seismologists say is one of the largest ever recorded in Turkey, was widespread, resulting in the mass destruction of thousands of buildings across the region. Chris Elders, professor at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University in Australia, told Al Jazeera that the aftershocks stretched “a distance of about 100 km to 200 km (62 to 124 miles)” from the epicenter in Kahramanmaraş.
According to James Elder, a spokesperson for the United Nations, the 10 provinces affected by the earthquake are home to approximately 4.6 million children, while the affected areas in Syria housed 2.5 million children, CNN reported. Days after the quake, people buried under rubble are still being rescued, but the death toll is still expected to increase. According to Al Jazeera, as of Feb. 14, over 40,000 deaths have been recorded, and UNICEF confirmed that the number will continue to grow according to a CNN article.
Adele Akbulut ’24, who is part of a small group of students affiliated with nudasyria.org at Mount Holyoke that have begun organizing fundraisers to help provide relief for those displaced by the earthquake, spoke about the resources that Turkey and Syria have lost, stating, “Many of the people there are now homeless —the ones that are alive — they are all outside.” The student group will be fundraising outside of Blanchard Dining Commons until Feb. 17.
In the wake of the earthquake, the U.N. has begun funneling aid into the region through Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee, two points between Turkey and Syria.On Feb. 13, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad opened the cross points, and they will remain open for at least a three-month period to allow aid into the countries.According to U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths via CNN, 11 trucks have carried resources into the region through Bal Al-Salam, and 26 more have passed into the region through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing, as of Feb. 14.