Editorial: Shock and awfulness of Turkey/Syria earthquake

Flattened and severely damaged buildings of Hatay city centre in southern Turkey. Photo / IHA via AP

EDITORIAL

The sheer scale of the disaster unfolding is hard to comprehend, even putting it into perspective that it covers an area equivalent to that between Hamilton and Wellington.

To survey the damage from one end to the other would take a drive of six hours - that’s if a clear road could be found.

The Kahramanmaras earthquake began with a 7.8 magnitude quake striking close to the southern city of Gaziantep in Turkey early on Monday, followed by another 7.5 magnitude earthquake several hours later.

Due to the number of buildings pancaked by the gigantic tremors, the death toll is expected to continue rising for days, if not weeks.

By mid-yesterday, 5894 people were confirmed to have been killed in Turkey, while 1932 people have died in Syria for a combined total of 7826 fatalities. There are fears that the toll will rise inexorably, with World Health Organisation officials estimating up to 20,000 may be dead.

From our corner of the world, comparisons with Christchurch are inevitable. We will empathise with Turkey and Syria from the position of our own experiences. Canterbury was shaken by a 7.1 earthquake on September 4, 2010 and then shattered by a following shake of 6.3 at lunchtime on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. In all, 185 people were killed.

In the north and east Mediterranean this week, the double-punch of earthquakes came just hours apart. Rescuers attending to the first tremor were pounded by the second. Winter is another cruel factor for Turkey and Syria. It had already been snowing in the region and those trapped may freeze to death if they have not already succumbed to their injuries.

James Elder, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) points out four million people in northwest Syria were already needing humanitarian support as communities were grappling with a cholera outbreak, a brutal winter, and ongoing conflict.

UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh described the earthquake emergency as a “hammer blow” for displaced populations. In some affected provinces of Turkey, 50 per cent of people are now refugees.

With every disaster, there are stories of hope. Residents in a northwest Syrian town recovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble of what was left of a five-storey apartment building.

Around 8000 people have been rescued by emergency teams co-ordinated by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority. Some emergency workers believe there is a seven-day window of opportunity to still save people in the collapsed buildings, and more stories of remarkable survival will come.

New Zealand has contributed $1.5 million to assist in the humanitarian response. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced the financial assistance on Tuesday and indicated more could be provided.

Mahuta said Aotearoa New Zealand was deeply saddened. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected.” It is no overstatement, we know too well the shockwaves from a devastating earthquake.”

As we grapple with the aftermath of last week’s floods in and around Auckland, we would do well to bear in mind those even worse off. Far, far worse off.