At least 20,000 people feared dead in major earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria which occurred on Monday, February 6, 2023 approximately twelve miles from Kahramanmaraş along the East Anatolian Fault in the eastern part of Türkiye near its border with Syria — and they were felt as far away as Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Georgia, and Armenia.
At Least 20,000 People Feared Dead in Major Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria
The first earthquake was reported to have a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale; and the magnitude of the second earthquake was reportedly 7.5.
Greater than 12,000 fatalities have already been confirmed; but tens of thousands more people are still missing. The earthquakes are estimated to have impacted approximately 23 million people in southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria; and survivors are forced to struggle to cope without food, shelter, or heat in “horrific” freezing conditions.
Flights have been canceled and delayed as well. The following message was posted at the official Internet web site of Istanbul Airport:
Due to the adverse weather conditions in Istanbul, we respectfully ask our passengers to confirm the details of their flights by getting in touch with the appropriate airlines before traveling to our airport.
Some of the information, photographs, and videos that are circulating on social media include:
Turkiye Gaziantep during Earthquake. #Gaziantep #earthquake #earthquakes #earthquakeinturkey pic.twitter.com/ZXBIcURL1g
— Asghar Rana (@AsgharTheRana) February 7, 2023
International aid is coming.#PrayForTurkey #TurkeyEarthquake #earthquakeinturkey #turkey #TurkeyQuake #earthquaketurkey #HelpTurkey #Turcja #Turquie #Turquia #Turchia #earthquakeinsyria #Syria #Syrie #deprem pic.twitter.com/vxyBcVJ4Wf
— Turkish Paramedic (@TRparamedic) February 8, 2023
Pakistan Army soldiers rescuing people from the debris in Turkey earthquake.
🇵🇰❤️🇹🇷
Salute to Pak Army's "SOLDIERS"#earthquake #earthquakeinturkey pic.twitter.com/qqd51UKwio— Ali (@SaifAliPak) February 8, 2023
This video broke my heart 💔
The little girl says to the rescuer when he reaches her: Get me out from under this wreckage,sir,me and my sister, and I will become your slave.#earthquakeinturkey #Syria #هزه_ارضيه #زلزال #İstanbul #earthquake #Turkey #PrayForTurkey pic.twitter.com/U9mMrZdROM
— Zuher Almosa (@AlmosaZuher) February 7, 2023
One of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen: a grief-stricken father sat holding the hand of his 15-year-old daughter crushed to death beneath the rubble of a building in Turkey.
Up to 20,000 now feared dead. #earthquakeinturkey pic.twitter.com/RlxbWfhfRQ— Omid Djalili (@omid9) February 7, 2023
Another miracle news…🙏Heroes rescued 2-year-old 'Muhammet' 44 hours later. 😇
They gave the thirsty baby water with the cap of the bottle. I hope the heroes will always be with us🙏#TurkeyQuake #earthquakeinturkey #PrayForTurkey #earthquakes #turkey 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/asbTT968XB— fedizm (@FatmaDe80674479) February 7, 2023
No transportation by land, roads are out of use.
No air transportation, airport runway out of use
There are no services in the hospitals because they have been destroyed.There is no life in #Hatay, because they didn't give it a chance🥀 #earthquakeinturkey #DevletMilletElele pic.twitter.com/hdS4O6VO6P
— David (@davidmng_) February 6, 2023
Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations
If you are traveling to, from, or within Turkey or Syria over the next couple of weeks or so, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to the aftermath of the earthquakes which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.
If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary.
Here are three airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of the earthquakes:
- Delta Air Lines has issued a travel alert for Istanbul for Monday, February 6, 2023 through Thursday, February 21, 2023; and Friday, March 31, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has issued a travel alert for Istanbul for Monday, February 6, 2023 through Thursday, February 21, 2023; and Friday, March 31, 2023 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Turkish Airways has issued travel alerts for Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport for Sunday, February 5, 2023 through Thursday, February 9, 2023, as some flights have been canceled. This alert has already been extended and may be extended yet again. To check the status of your flight and learn about your rights regarding your flights, please visit the flight status page and enter your flight number or your flight route. In order to receive information about your flight, you can visit this manage booking page and check if your information is up to date.
Final Boarding Call
Be sure to contact your airline or transportation provider for the latest information pertaining to your travels — if they are adversely affected — and please: travel safely.
In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the earthquakes — as well as their families, friends, and colleagues — and seeing aid and rescue workers from Hungary, Israel, Pakistan, and other countries to help out and assist as much as they can is heartwarming, in my opinion…
Photograph ©2022 by Brian Cohen.
