In Italy, the tsunami warning was triggered at midnight between Sunday and Monday: A severe earthquake was recorded in southern Turkey and felt throughout the Middle East. There are more than 100 dead in Turkey. There are more than 230 dead and 600 injured in Syria. More than 600 people were injured in the two countries. The budget will inevitably get worse over the next few hours.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conveyed his wishes to all citizens affected by the earthquake on his Twitter account and said, “We hope to overcome this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage.” Erdogan announced that search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the areas affected by the earthquake, and other units were also on alert. The United States has said it is ready to send aid and assistance. After the 2.17 magnitude earthquake, 7 more tremors greater than 4.5 were recorded in the region.
Gaziantep Castle, a Roman-era structure built in the 3rd century, was destroyed in an earthquake that struck southeast Turkey and northern Syria. CnnTurk announced this by showing images of the building turned into rubble. The Iskenderun Annunciation Church, a 19th-century Catholic cathedral, was largely destroyed.
Dozens of victims died in northern Syria. The photo is from a hospital in Afrin, Syria.
all the people in the north #Syria working to save the stranded#earthquake pic.twitter.com/K85TXwTrnw
— Mohammad – محمد عساكره (@mohammed_asakra) February 6, 2023
Turkey earthquake: tsunami warning and stopped trains in Italy
Update at 7.30. The Civil Defense Office announced that the tsunami alert for possible waves on the Italian coast was lifted after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake recorded between central Turkey and Syria at 02:17. The cancellation decision was made based on data processed by INGV’s Tsunami Warning Center (CAT). Rail traffic resumed regularly from 6.30am in Sicily, Calabria and Puglia, which was suspended as a precaution. A tsunami alert was issued from the Civil Protection for parts of southern Italy. The alarm was partially reduced, but rail traffic was interrupted. L‘Ingv has issued a tsunami warning that the impact wave should reach the coast of Sicily at 6:35 a.m. in Syracuse, 6:39 in Catania and 6:40 in Messina. LThe warning was confirmed following sea level anomalies in tide gauges in Iskenderun and Erdemli in Turkey. However, the presence of variations has been contained (about 30 cm from peak to peak), so the tsunami hazard for Italy soon appeared to be contained.
As a precaution, rail traffic had stopped as of 6:30 p.m., starting from the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria and Puglia.
Based on data processed by the Tsunami Alert Center (Cat) of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Ingv), the Civil Protection Agency issued an alert for possible tsunami waves reaching the coast of Italy at around 3 am tonight. 7.9 magnitude earthquake with epicenter between Turkey and Syria at 02:17. The Civil Protection said in a statement that it “advises to stay away from coastal areas, reach higher elevations nearby, and follow local authorities’ instructions”. Salvatore Cocina, Head of Civil Protection in Sicily, “received the news that the measured wave height in Turkey, which is in constant contact with DPC-Rome, is much smaller than expected and equals about 15 cm. However, tide gauges measure successive waves. It is likely due to more shocks. Therefore, the alarm persists even if it is reduced”. “The PC’s regional department has activated the district system through its operations room and provincial directors and is in contact with the island’s governorships and mayors of coastal municipalities – reads a note – The wave will come sooner off the coast of the Aeolian Islands, it will reach all the coasts of the island, from Messina to Portopalo ” said. Mayors have been advised to activate the procedures of their PC plans to warn the population in low-lying coastal and port areas of a possible evacuation. Civil Protection alerted President Schifani, who was in Catania and was following the development of the situation.
“Tsunami – explains Civil Protection’s note – consists of a series of sea waves produced by the rapid movement of a large body of water. The warning indicates a real possibility of danger to people close to the shore, especially in areas not too high above sea level or even lower. Even a 0.5 meter high wave – underlined in the press release – can cause dangerous flooding and very strong currents”. “The Department of Civil Protection, INGV, together with the structures of the Environmental Protection and Research Institute (Ispra) and the National Civil Protection Service (Snpc) will continue to provide all available updates on the development of the event”, concludes the note.
ingv has issued a warning tsunami reports that the impact wave should have reached the coast of Sicily at 6:35 in Syracuse, 6:39 in Catania, and 6:40 in Messina. After the wave, Portopalo, Ginostra, Strombolicchio, Milazzo, Palermo, Marettimo, Gela, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, Porto Empedocle, Sciacca and Mazara del Vallo may be affected. Sicily’s Regional Civil Protection Department (Drpc) “invites citizens to stay away from the low coast” steer clear of port areas and exercise maximum caution.” A dawn of concern, but the alarm seems to have largely subsided. Starting from Gallipoli, at around 06:40, an alarm was issued against possible tsunami waves on the coasts of Apulia. Then the alarm stopped.
The price of the earthquake in Turkey will be very heavy
At night the ground shook and the buildings collapsed, the sleeping Turks and Syrians stunned. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 3:17 am local time (2:17 in Italy) in southern Turkey, not far from the Syrian border.
According to data from the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Ingv) and the US geological monitoring service, Usgs, the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of about 25 km and its epicenter was in the province of Gaziantep.
Initial information and images posted on Twitter give a picture of a devastating shock in which dozens of buildings collapsed.
The balance in Turkey and Syria is already disastrous. The first earthquake was followed a few minutes later by a strong 6.7 magnitude aftershock with the epicenter only 10 km deep and centered between Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş provinces.
Southeast Turkey was shaken by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that lasted 90 seconds. More than 100 buildings were reported destroyed in Malatya alone, my hometown.
People waiting to be rescued report their location at: #earthquake pic.twitter.com/RVN3acqBcc
— Eren Bali (@erenbali) February 6, 2023
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
