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Google PlayMore than 1,500 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was just over 14 miles east of Nurdağı in the Gaziantep province of Turkey. The Associated Press reported that hundreds of buildings had been destroyed by the quake, with more than 1,500 people confirmed to have died at the time of this writing, while hundreds more are likely trapped beneath the extensive damage.
Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, confirmed in a statement on Monday that he had been briefed on the earthquake, adding that immediate action was being taken involving multiple agencies including the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority and the Turkish Armed Forces.
The office of Bashar Hafez al-Assad, president of Syria, said in a separate statement that an emergency Council of Ministers had been held on Monday morning. The “most affected” regions in Syria were subsequently determined to be Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia. In response, an emergency action plan was being carried out nationally.
The White House has also addressed the earthquake, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirming that President Biden had directed the U.S. Agency for International Development and other federal partners to look into how best the U.S. could assist those affected by the disaster.
“The United States is profoundly concerned by the reports of today’s destructive earthquake in Turkiye and Syria,” Sullivan said. “We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance.”
