The morning of February 6, 2023, brought on a lot of damage to Turkey and Syria. Both countries of the Middle East were struck by the 7.8 to 7.9 magnitude earthquake causing deadly destruction. Over 41,000 people are reported to have been killed and over 70,000 were injured severely.
The first deadly, 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck during the early hours of February 6th which was followed by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Thousands of victims’ homes were destroyed, while roads, bridges, and hospitals were badly damaged. The earthquake impacts were powerful and strong that the tremors were reported as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, and Iraq.
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What Is Pancake Collapse?
Every major earthquake disaster has its own pattern of structural failure. But with the Turkey- Syria earthquakes. major damages done to the citizens are because of Pancake collapses. Basically, Pancake collapses are named for the way collapsing floor lands and stack as they fall. It is a progressive failure that generally begins at the bottom. Pancake collapses are often the result of major earthquakes like the one that damaged Turkey and Syria.
There are multiple factors that led to this earthquake being soo devastating, like delayed resume missions, fault lines, and neighborhoods reeling from the already ongoing war. But truly it is the unsafe buildings that made the earthquake frightening and catastrophic. According to the Turkish government, more than 6,000 buildings collapsed as a result of the tremblors.
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Why Were Turkey-Syria Quakes So Deadly?
Numerous factors have been said to be contributed to making the Turkey-Syria quack lethal and dangerous. One of the many reasons was the time when the earthquake struck. It happened early in the morning when the people were still sleeping, unable to get adequate time to take shelter, many people are now trapped under the rubble of buildings. With the increase in the cold weather, the people trapped under the rubble might also become the victim of hypothermia along with a lack of food and water.
One of the major reasons is the construction of the buildings. With the past experience of Earthquakes, many parts of Turkey have regional building regulations to ensure construction projects can withstand extreme seismic activities. But not all buildings followed the modern construction codes, hence resulting in Pancake collapses. With many people stuck in their homes, the architectures are being blamed for the ignorant instruction overseeing the possibilities of natural calamities. People are still being saved by the rescue teams and constant aid is being sent.
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