Turkish President Says That Today's Earthquake Was the 'Biggest Disaster In The Last Century'

 

A bit more on that horrible earthquake earlier today in Turkey.

The death toll when I first wrote about it in the wee hours was already pretty shocking. Tragically, it has skyrocketed since then. Admittedly, I was not aware of quite just how much damage this earthquake did, although the reports at that point were just really beginning to come in.

Now, I am seeing updates that are revealing more of the full extent of the damage. This earthquake was actually felt by several countries, not just Turkey and Syria. But the greatest damage was in Turkey, where apparently, hundreds of buildings at least partially collapsed. And that has sent the death toll climbing, seemingly by the hour. As I am looking at the most recent updates, I am seeing that the most recent estimates of the death toll have climbed to between 2,300 to approaching 3,000. 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan called this the worst natural disaster in Turkey in nearly a century:

"Tonight at 04.17, we were shaken by the biggest disaster in the last century after the 1939 Erzincan earthquake." During a press conference in Ankara, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces that the country has received "offers of assistance from 45 countries", after a 7.8- magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning, killing at least 2,300 people in Turkey and Syria.

Awful. Let's hope that the death toll does not continue to climb. Rescue efforts are being mobilized throughout much of the world, particularly in Europe and other nearby nations. 

Turkey Shook By 'Biggest Disaster In The Last Century', Says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan By AFP - Agence France Presse February 6, 2023:

https://www.barrons.com/news/turkey-shook-by-biggest-disaster-in-the-last-century-says-president-recep-tayyip-erdogan-01675701919