As violent earthquakes have just struck Turkey and Syria, killing at least 1,400 people, Médecins du Monde is on the ground assessing needs and deploying an emergency response.
A HEAVY HUMAN TOLL
On the night of February 5 to 6, 2023, at 4:17 a.m. local time (8:17 p.m. in Canada), a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria.
As the affected areas are still under rubble and aftershocks have continued since that night, the human toll is already extremely heavy: at 5:50 a.m. Montreal time, at least 3,500 deaths and over 13,000 injuries have been recorded.
In Syria, at least 560 people are reported to have been killed and 1,042 injured, with the majority of victims recorded in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Tartous.
In Turkey, authorities report 912 deaths and at least 5,385 injuries. Over a thousand buildings have completely collapsed, raising fears of even higher human losses.
The human toll is unfortunately expected to rise further. As debris clearance begins and winter temperatures hover around freezing, thousands of people are now homeless, without resources and potentially without access to care.
MÉDECINS DU MONDE MOBILIZED
While the Turkish Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu has already issued a call for international aid in the face of the disaster’s scale, Médecins du Monde is already on the ground providing assistance to victims.
FOCUS ON SAVING LIVES
Operational in the region for several years, particularly with people affected by the Syrian conflict, Médecins du Monde is directly impacted by this series of earthquakes. Some of our healthcare staff have lost relatives, some colleagues remain unreachable, and several of our facilities are damaged or even destroyed.
To respond to the emergency, our teams are currently assessing the needs and immediate priorities of populations directly affected by the earthquake, in coordination with local authorities and international organizations present in the region.
Our teams will remain mobilized to assist affected populations in Turkey and Syria and to support local health systems.
Médecins du Monde is a member of the Humanitarian Coalition.
