Epicenter: Province of Gaziantep, Turkey
Time: February 6, 2023, 4:17 AM local time
Magnitude: 7.8 on the Richter scale
As of February 14, eight days after the earthquake, over 35,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured by the earthquake in Turkey. The affected region on the Turkish side has several large cities and is home to millions of Syrian refugees. On the Syrian side of the border, the quake affected some 4 million displaced people who have been affected by the Syrian civil war.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake’s magnitude was around 7.8, as the first prediction on the Richter scale, and was located 3km from Nurdagi/Gaziantep, Turkey, at 4:17 AM. Another major aftershock measuring 7.5 magnitude hit Turkey at 1:24 PM local time.
The earthquake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers, the USGS.
Strong aftershocks have been felt across the region, including Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey.
Turkey’s disaster agency appealed for help from the international community as it conducts search and rescue operations. Countries such as Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Israel (Operation Olive Branch, which is sending a rescue team of 150), Kuwait, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, and more have offered aid.
It is currently snowing in Gaziantep, Turkey. Temperatures in the evenings are as low as -6°C (21°F). The next 48 hours are critical to saving lives despite the cold and snowstorms.
Read more of the latest updates below:
CNN update – Powerful quake kills hundreds in Turkey and Syria (February 6, 2023)
How to pray:
- Pray for survivors in this cold weather and the search and rescue operations – the weather is freezing and snowing in many places. Please for the rescue operations and dispatches from the international community to do search and rescue operations where they are needed the most quickly. Please pray for the release and sending of relief personnel and workers to the affected region. Pray for the equipment that is needed for clearing the rubble to arrive in the places it needs to be at.
- Pray for the medical personnel – with many wounded and injured, many medical supplies and workers are needed to care for the earthquake victims. Pray for the medical expertise and supplies that are necessary for this crisis.
- Pray for the daily necessities for the victims – there is no water, food and heat. Looting is common in the affected cities. Pray for the provision of daily necessities. Also, many people are sleeping in their cars and avoiding being in the buildings. However, their gas is running low, and some gas stations are refusing to sell gas to vehicles. Pray for a fair distribution of resources among the victims and affected region.
- Pray for the aftermath – the earthquake victims are faced with new and unimaginable, temporary or lifelong difficulties. They may face death, illness, lack of food and water, poor sanitary conditions, homelessness, and more. Please pray for practical help and relief aid to get to the affected region and a revelation of our God to bring restoration and hope to these communities devastated by the earthquake. Also, pray for God’s peace, comfort, and healing to fill people’s hearts from the trauma and pain of the crisis and to know that we will not be shaken in Him.
- Pray for the diplomatic ties that are changing and forged through this crisis – Israel is sending a rescue team of 150 people under “Operation Olive Branch.” Pray for improved relations between Israel and Turkey.
- Pray for leaders of churches and believers in the affected region – Believers have been affected in Gaziantep, Iskenderun, Antakya (ancient Antioch), Adana, Diyarbakir, Malatya, and Suruç. Churches have been destroyed, and people are outside in tents. Pray for the church leaders in Southeast Turkey, who are our ministry partners and whom we know personally, that they would know what they should do and how to respond to this tragedy. Pray for the leaders to know how to comfort their members, many of who have been traumatized by this event.
- Pray for believers to be His hands and feet in crisis relief – this crisis is an opportunity to show the practical love of Jesus in South East Turkey. Please for believers globally to rise up at such a time as this, to not only send aid, prayers, but also people to the harvest field.
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