2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes — The earthquake that caused destruction in Türkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023
The deadliest natural disaster in modern Turkish history, killing over 59,000 people across Turkey and Syria and affecting roughly 14 million people.
Key Facts
- Mw 7.8 mainshock magnitude
- 7.8 Mw
- Death toll (Turkey)
- 53,537 people
- Death toll (Syria)
- 5,951–8,476 people
- Estimated damage (Turkey)
- 148.8 billion USD
- People affected
- ~14 million people
- Area of widespread damage
- ~350,000 km²
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The seismic sequence resulted from shallow strike-slip faulting along segments of the Dead Sea Transform, East Anatolian, and Sürgü–Çardak faults. Tectonic stress accumulated along these fault systems in southern Turkey and northern Syria, producing conditions for a catastrophic rupture.
On 6 February 2023 at 04:17 local time, a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern Syria, with its epicenter 37 km west-northwest of Gaziantep. A second major shock of Mw 7.7 followed roughly nine hours later, centered 95 km north-northwest of the first, compounding destruction across an already devastated region.
More than 59,000 people were killed across both countries, approximately 1.5 million were left homeless, and damage reached an estimated US$157.8 billion combined. Over 141,000 international rescuers from 94 countries assisted relief efforts. The disaster became the deadliest earthquake globally since the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the fifth-deadliest of the 21st century.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 59,013 (earthquake)
Range: 59,488 – 62,013