LONDON, 6 FEB ( Westminster World) – The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria is likely to be one of the deadliest this decade, seismologists said, with a more than 100km rupture between the Anatolian and Arabian plates.
The devastating earthquake has killed more than 2,200 people across a swathe of Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, with freezing weather adding to the plight of the thousands left injured or homeless and hampering efforts to find survivors.
It is estimated that the death toll could reach 10,000
At least 120 aftershocks have been reported by Turkey, according to an update by the country’s disaster management agency.
Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that follow an initial larger one in the same area.
Hours after the 7.8 magnitude quake Turkey was hit with a 7.5 magnitude, adding more to its widespread destruction.
The Turkish government declared a state of emergency and called for international assistance.
The European Union has activated its crisis response mechanism in order to coordinate the bloc’s support measures to Turkey and Syria quicker after devastating earthquakes on Monday.