Over 1000 dead: Extremely powerful - very rare

 

The earthquake in Turkey and Syria in 2023  

The Seismologist: Reports all the way from Egypt  

Of:  

Amanda Hällsten, 

Olivia J Berntsson Published: Less than 3 hours ago 

Updated: Less than 30 min ago  

NEWS 

Over 1,300 people have so far been confirmed dead in Turkey and Syria after the earthquake.  

According to seismologist Björn Lund, the quake was felt all the way to Iran, Egypt, Greece and Romania. 

- An earthquake of this magnitude on land in an area that is relatively densely populated is extremely bad, he says. 

The earthquake was registered at 02:17, Swedish time. It was measured at a magnitude of 7.8, according to the United States seismological agency USGS. Other sources reported similar magnitudes, as low as 7.4 and as high as 7.9.  

According to Turkish media, the earthquake had its epicenter at a depth of seven kilometers and occurred outside the city of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria. 

According to Reuters, citing eyewitnesses, it lasted about a minute.  

According to Björn Lund, seismologist at Uppsala University, it is very unusual for earthquakes this large to occur on land. 

- It's a very big earthquake. We only have a few earthquakes of this size every year around the world, and most of them happen out at sea, he says.  

The last time Turkey measured an earthquake of this magnitude was in the 1930s, according to Björn Lund.  

- An earthquake of this magnitude on land in an area that is relatively densely populated is extremely bad. It's such a big earthquake that the quake didn't just touch one point. The quake may have touched a crack that is 200 kilometers long. It becomes a very large area that is exposed to strong shaking.  

Björn Lund.

The death toll is rising 

In the early hours of Monday morning, Swedish time, the scale of the disaster began to become clear with rising death tolls, heightened preparedness and a request from Turkey for international help.  

Over 200 people have so far been reported dead in Turkey and Syria. Hundreds of people have been reported injured  

At the same time, the US agency United States Geological Survey, USGS, fears that the death toll could rise to thousands. 

- Because the earthquake has occurred on land, in the vicinity of homes, which means that the shaking will be extremely strong in the immediate area, says Björn Lund. 

Adana, Turkey. Adana, Turkey. Photo: Elifaysenurbay / AP  

Rescue workers in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Photo: AP 

Racial crowds in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Photo: AP  

The earthquake was registered at 02:17, Swedish time. It measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, according to the United States seismological agency USGS. Other sources reported similar magnitudes, as low as 7.4 and as high as 7.9.

see more >The pictures from inside the disaster area