On Monday, February 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey and Syria. Thousands of victims, hundreds of collapsed buildings and a state of shock felt by the locals. This natural disaster caused a lot of damage that is still temporary at the moment.
What we know
According to AFAD, the government’s disaster management agency, the earthquake that occurred overnight was 7.8 magnitude and 7 km deep. The tremors were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus. This earthquake is the largest in Turkey since the earthquake of 17 August 1999, which caused the death of nearly 17,000 people.
The quake took place overnight Sunday to Monday, causing widespread damage north of Gaziantep , near the Syrian border. Then, an aftershock of magnitude 7.5 took place at the end of the morning on Monday morning. This new earthquake is located in southeastern Turkey.
As for the human toll, it is heavy and still very provisional. At present in Turkey, at least 1,400 people have lost their lives and more than 5,000 injured. Up to 2,800 buildings collapsed, causing a lot of debris. In northern Syria, at least 800 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded, according to the combined tallies of the official Syrian agency and rescue workers in the rebel-held area. The death toll will continue to rise as buildings continue to collapse in many of the affected cities and weather forecasts that make the situation even more complicated.
Deployed forces
Following this disaster, many countries have expressed their support for Turkey and Syria.
On the one hand, France, represented by the voice of Emmanuel Macron through his twitter account, expressed himself “Terrible images are coming to us from Turkey and Syria after an earthquake of unprecedented strength. France stands ready to provide emergency aid to the populations on the ground, Macron said. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families.”
In the same vein, the European Union quickly mobilised and sent rescue teams to the field to provide reinforcements to the local teams. For his part, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, offered his “sincere condolences” and assured that Russia was ready to “provide the necessary assistance”.
For their part, theItalythe Hungary, theSpainthe Polandthe Greece, Sweden, Israel or India, all of these nations have shown their readiness to lend their support to Turkey and Syria and quickly by deploying their own teams.
Firefighters of the international emergency
Among the forces deployed are the International Emergency Firefighters (PUI). This French NGO provides support and relief to populations in situations of natural or humanitarian disasters. PUI is the first French rescue team to be recognized and classified by the UN.
In the context of the disasters that have struck Turkey and Syria, the work of the PUIs is indispensable. These teams are trained and prepared to be ready in a context like this. Philippe Besson, president of the international emergency firefighters, reacted very quickly by mobilizing his human and material resources with a view to providing assistance to the Turkish and Syrian populations.
The deployment of its teams is streamlined and supported by the eBrigade software. In times of crisis, all resources are already filled in and dematerialized on the platform for better management. All the information is at hand, the teams involved are notified quickly of their mission and are ready to help. The teams are also supported by real-time instructions from the NGO allowing them to use all their expertise in such delicate situations.
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