Death Toll Increases Due to Earthquake in Turkey

                 After a large earthquake hit Turkey last Sunday, many survivors struggle to stay alive while the number of dead pulled from the debris climbs.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake that hit one of Turkey’s most impoverished areas was a magnitude 7.2. It was followed by 20 aftershocks of which a magnitude 6.0 was the largest. Authorities and news agencies are still trying to accurately report the number of injured and deceased, but the most recent reports state that 217 were killed, and another 350 injured in the destructive quake that affected the cities of Ercis and Van, as well as surrounding villages in Turkey.

          Earthquakes are not unknown to the people of Turkey. In fact, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, killed more than 17,000 people in 1999, according to the USGS. In addition, a magnitude 7.2 tremor in Duzce the same year killed 894 people.

It is a fact that the country of Turkey lies in a highly earthquake-prone seismic zone where such events occur on a somewhat regular basis. According to worldbank.org, “the earthquake disaster risk for Turkey’s urban centers has increased in recent decades, due to high rates of urbanization, faulty land-use planning and construction, inadequate infrastructure and services, and environmental degradation.” Furthermore, several studies have shown that the vulnerability of Turkish building stock is higher than that in California, which shares a comparable level of earthquake hazard.

The number of lives lost continues to rise as time goes on. All the while, survivors and victims alike, struggle to fight against freezing temperatures, hunger, and injuries. Large numbers of rescue workers battle along, fighting the darkness and the dangerous debris in the hopes of finding more survivors. According to the Turkish Health Ministry’s crisis center, “teams of about 500 people were on the ground, and additional aid teams were dispatched from 29 surrounding cities.” Rescue teams have yet to reach some of the smaller surrounding villages.

Foreign nations offered assistance and condolences to the people of Turkey. Among others, Israel, which saw deterioration in relations with Turkey during the past few months, offered its help. U.S. President, Barrack Obama, said in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the brave men and women who are working to bring assistance to this stricken region.” In spite of generous offers of help, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that the country is prepared to handle the disaster on its own.