The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

More than 4,000 killed in Turkey, Syria after powerful earthquake and aftershocks

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The scene in Sanliurfa: At 10 p.m., digging for survivors continues
Map: Where the earthquake happened
A second, 7.5-magnitude earthquake was recorded in south-central...
Search-and-rescue efforts at the site of a destroyed residential building in Sanliurfa, Turkey. (Alice Martins for The Washington Post)
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Updated February 6, 2023 at 11:01 p.m. EST|Published February 5, 2023 at 9:50 p.m. EST
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SANLIURFA, Turkey — A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey early Monday killed more than 4,000 people there and in neighboring Syria, officials said, as rescuers searched flattened buildings in frigid weather for survivors. The earthquake — felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt — occurred in Kahramanmaras province, north of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, and the number of people killed, injured and displaced probably will climb.

The initial quake was followed by dozens of powerful aftershocks, including one recorded at 7.5 magnitude in the same fault zone of south-central Turkey on Monday afternoon. Most of the damage is in southern Turkey and northern and central Syria.

The scene in Sanliurfa: At 10 p.m., digging for survivors continues
Map: Where the earthquake happened
A second, 7.5-magnitude earthquake was recorded in south-central...

Here’s what to know

  • At least 2,900 people were killed and nearly 16,000 injured in Turkey, state media said.
  • In Syria, 711 people have been reported killed so far, with more than 1,400 injured, in government-controlled regions, mostly in Latakia, Hama, Aleppo and Tartus, according to state media reported.
  • The death toll in rebel-held northwestern Syria is at least 740, according to a representative of the Syrian Civil Defense, an aid group that works in areas outside government control; more than 2,000 civilians were injured, with hundreds trapped under rubble and dozens of buildings collapsed, the group said.
  • The quake could be the largest recorded in the region, which sits on an earthquake-prone belt known as the Anatolia fault, one seismologist said.
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Here's what to know:

At least 2,900 people were killed and nearly 16,000 injured in Turkey, state media said.
In Syria, 711 people have been reported killed so far, with more than 1,400 injured, in government-controlled regions, mostly in Latakia, Hama, Aleppo and Tartus, according to state media reported.
The death toll in rebel-held northwestern Syria is at least 740, according to a representative of the Syrian Civil Defense, an aid group that works in areas outside government control; more than 2,000 civilians were injured, with hundreds trapped under rubble and dozens of buildings collapsed, the group said.
The quake could be the largest recorded in the region, which sits on an earthquake-prone belt known as the Anatolia fault, one seismologist said.

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