Reports and Analysis

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, according to the Richter scale, occurred with its epicenter in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş province, as reported by AFAD (Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority). Nine hours later, a second major earthquake, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck, causing serious damage and the collapse of many buildings. The earthquakes affected several provinces, including Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Kilis, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Adana, Osmaniye, and Diyarbakır, where approximately 13.5 million people reside, including 2 million Syrian refugees. According to AFAD’s statement on February 14, 2023, a total of 3,170 aftershocks occurred following the earthquakes.