What we know about the massive earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that jolted Türkiye’s 10 Anatolian provinces at dawn on Monday left massive destruction with the death toll in the country and neighbouring Syria surpassing 5,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.

The apocalyptic earthquake caught many by surprise as most of the residents were still in bed when the disaster hit.

Türkiye’s Interior Ministry declared the situation at Level 4 which means the country is open to international help and assistance. 

The government has tasked its emergency and relief agencies, including Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), to handle the deadly aftermath of the quake.

Over 13, 740 personnel, 360 vehicles and 3,361 caterpillars have been deployed to the region to help in the search and rescue effort, according to AFAD.

Volunteers are also at the scenes to help their loved ones and those in desperate situations. 

About 65 countries have offered help to Türkiye and many of them sent search and rescue teams to the devastated areas. The Turkish army has created an airway corridor for foreign flights and halted civilian air travel to the region.

Türkiye's President Recept Tayyip Erdogan has declared seven days of mourning following the deadly quake and the Turkish flags are flying at half-staff.

READ MORE: World in solidarity with Türkiye after powerful earthquakes

Why it was so devastating?

Following the first earthquake over 600 aftershocks continued to rattle the region. Many damaged buildings collapsed following the aftershocks.

Several hours later, a second earthquake hit Kahramanmaras —the epicenter of both earthquakes — with a magnitude of 7.6. 

It cracked the main connecting road lines and caused fires in several spots on the gas supply pipelines to the region. The energy ministry has halted the flow of the gas as a precaution for safety reasons and it said it will release the flow in a controlled manner. 

The second wave of the earthquake further destroyed more buildings.

Many of the buildings in the region reportedly were older than two decades. 

Türkiye had faced a major earthquake in 1999 that led the country to tighten its rules on building construction. The real numbers of the buildings and details will be revealed after a government investigation. 

READ MORE: In pictures: Türkiye's rescue mission underway in quake-hit regions

Official numbers show that at least 3,432 people lost their lives and 21,103 were left injured as of Tuesday afternoon. About 5,775 buildings were also destroyed.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said over 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble as 11,022 search and rescue teams are working in the field. He added that 338,000 earthquake victims have been housed in dormitories, universities and shelters.

Turkish armed forces have docked a military ship that includes a mobilised hospital near the Iskenderun port to treat the wounded and transfer them to other coastal provinces. Several other field hospitals were set up in the region.

The earthquakes were felt in a wide area within Türkiye and 13.5 million people were affected by them, according to the environment minister. 

Türkiye’s neighbouring war-ravaged country, Syria, meanwhile reported over 1,600 deaths and over 2,400 others injured.

READ MORE: Live updates: Deadly quakes trigger massive rescue effort in Türkiye, Syria

What type of tremor hit Türkiye and will it trigger quakes in other regions?

Türkiye is located in the major fault lines of Anatolian and the northern line that reach out to the western region of the country to the seas of Marmara and Aegean.

It was an uncommon situation to have two major earthquakes back to back in a few hours in the eastern Anatolian fault lines, Dr Bulent Ozmen, a disaster management specialist at Gazi University in the capital Ankara, said. He noted that there are about 550 active fault lines in Türkiye that can produce earthquakes and it is hard to guess which one will break.

Ozmen said that the last earthquake affected the left and right fault lines of Malatya segments towards Hatay and Elazig, provinces of southern Türkiye. 

"Istanbul and its surroundings are on the North Anatolian Fault, it is out of question for this earthquake to trigger those fault lines,” he said.

READ MORE: 'Apocalypse': Survivors narrate horrific moments after Türkiye quake

Global earthquakes since 2000s

The world has faced more than a dozen major earthquakes in the last two decades resulting in massive deaths.

The most recent one took place in Afghanistan in June of last year. More than 1,100 people were killed in the magnitude 6.1 earthquake.

In 2021, Haiti also was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that claimed over 2,200 lives.

In 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia killing 4,300 people.

READ MORE: Major deadly earthquakes in the past two decades

Other major earthquakes:

• April 25, 2015: In Nepal, more than 8,800 people are killed by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
• March 11, 2011: A magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.
• Jan. 12, 2010: In Haiti, a staggering 316,000 people are killed by a magnitude 7.0 quake, according to government estimates.
• May 12, 2008: A magnitude 7.9 quake strikes eastern Sichuan in China, resulting in over 87,500 deaths.
• May 26, 2006: More than 5,700 people die when a magnitude 6.3 quake hits the island of Java, Indonesia.
• Oct. 8, 2005: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake kills over 80,000 people in Pakistan’s Kashmir region.
• March 28, 2005: A magnitude 8.6 quake in northern Sumatra in Indonesia kills about 1,300 people.
• Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
• Dec. 26, 2003: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits southeastern Iran, resulting in 50,000 deaths.
• May 21, 2003: More than 2,200 people are killed in a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Algeria.
• Jan. 26, 2001: A magnitude 7.7 quake strikes Gujarat in India, killing 20,000 people.