Disaster Profile

On February 6th, 2023, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Gaziantep, southeastern Türkiye (Turkey), this morning at 4:17 local time. It was closely followed by numerous aftershocks, including one quake, which was almost as large as the first, a 7.5 magnitude. These earthquakes were shallow, at 11 and 6.2 miles, respectively. You can follow our disaster tracker to stay updated as the situation in Turkey evolves.

Recovery efforts will be extensive, and we’ll need ongoing funding to support our work. Before you head out to volunteer, please consider creating a fundraising page.

This region has not been a major earthquake for more than 200 years or any warning signs, so the level of preparedness would be less than for a region that was more used to dealing with earthquakes.

This incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when people were inside and sleeping.

If you would like more information, refer to the BBC Article Turkey earthquake: Where did it hit and why was it so deadly?