7.9 earthquake devastates Turkey and Syria: hundreds dead Tsunami alert

By Cristiano Antonino On Feb 6, 2023

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: epicentre in the Turkish province of Gaziantep, the tremor at 2:17 a.m. in Italy was also felt in other countries and a tsunami alarm was triggered, which was later cancelled

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey when it was just after 2am in Italy

With serious collapses of many buildings and dozens of deaths (at the moment, almost 80 are being reported), the toll is rising.

Syria was also involved, again in a major way with over 100 victims already in this case.

THE EPICENTRE IN THE TURKISH PROVINCE OF GAZIANTEP

The earthquake was also felt in other countries such as Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus and Israel: there was great fear.

The epicentre of the earthquake in Turkey was located in the province of Gaziantep.

The main one was followed by other aftershocks, however very strong.

In the south-east of Turkey, and particularly in the area of the earthquake epicentre, there is a significant presence of refugees from neighbouring Syria.

According to Afad, the Turkish disaster management agency, at least ten cities have been hit with victims and houses collapsing: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis. Deaths also occurred in Syria: according to the Damascus government, there are dozens of victims in this country as well.

EARTHQUAKE IN TURKEY AND SYRIA, TSUNAMI ALERT ISSUED IN ITALY

A tsunami alert has also been issued for Italy, with railway traffic suspended as a precaution in Sicily, Calabria and Apulia.

Now, however, this danger seems to have abated and circulation is returning to normal.

FS ANNOUNCEMENT ON TRAIN STOP IN THREE REGIONS

“As a precautionary measure, from 6.30 a.m., train traffic will stop in the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria and Puglia, with possible subsequent extension to the rest of Italy following the alert issued by the Civil Protection Department, due to possible tidal waves arriving on Italian coasts after the magnitude 7.9 earthquake with epicentre between Turkey and Syria at 2.17 a.m.

As a result of the precautionary stop, there could be possible cancellations and delays in other regions as well,’.

Thus Ferrovie dello Stato in a note.