One year ago, 58,000 people lost their lives after devastating earthquakes in south-east Türkiye and north-west Syria. Médecins du Monde is calling for continued aid to meet the immense needs of the population.
Türkiye & Syria earthquake emergency
© Olivier Papegnies
On February 6, 2023, in the early morning hour of 4:17 a.m. local time (2:17 a.m. in Switzerland), a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria. More than 50,000 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of people were injured, evacuated, or left without shelter, healthcare, or essential services.
The earthquake and its aftershocks destroyed or damaged roads and vital infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, and those that were still functional were soon overwhelmed. In all, 15 million people in Türkiye and nearly 9 million in Syria were affected.
The Médecins du Monde teams, which had been working in the region for many years to help people affected by the conflict in Syria, were mobilized to provide emergency relief as well as to continue their long-term efforts to strengthen local healthcare systems to support local populations.
IN TURKIYE, psychotherapists and psychosocial support workers were brought in to provide consultations for traumatized survivors. A shipping container was also converted into a doctor’s office and mobile teams were formed.
IN SYRIA, Médecins du Monde’s clinics were quickly put back into operation, and patients once again have access to primary healthcare, sexual and reproductive health, obstetric, and mental health services.
To pursue our humanitarian and medical relief for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria, Médecins du Monde has launched an appeal for donations. If you’d like to support our actions, click the link below.
OUR ACTIONS IN THE REGION
04.08.23
Six months after the terrible earthquake that struck south-east Türkiye and north-west Syria on February 6, 2023 – killing over 50,000 people and affecting 15 million – the population is exposed to new health risks.
09.03.23
WHO calls Europe’s “worst natural disaster in a century”. The human toll of the earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria on February 6 is heavy and uncertain.
17.02.23
Médecins du Monde mourns the loss of 4 of its members in the earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria.
16.02.23
In the wake of the earthquakes that struck heavily in Syria and Türkiye on February 6, 2023, killing at least 35,000 people, the Médecins du Monde network is calling for unhindered access to save lives and provide basic support to victims.
06.02.23
After violent earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, killing more than 1,400 people, the international Médecins du Monde network is on the spot to assess needs and deploy an emergency response.
