Turkey-Syria Earthquake: More than 5000 dead, fears of humanitarian crisis crops up

The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Turkey and neighbouring Syria has exceeded 5,000 people as another earthquake jolted the region within 48 hours of the first quake.

Rescuers continue to dig through the rubble looking for survivors even as freezing cold weather conditions hamper rescue operations. Tens of thousands have been reported injured in Turkey and Syria.

The massive quake, one of the largest to strike the quake-prone area in the past century, is raising fears of a new humanitarian crisis in a region strained by years of war, displacement and economic hardship.

According to a report from the Anadolu Agency, on February 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake centered in the Pazarcik district rattled Kahramanmaras and several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis. Later that day, the area was shaken by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that was centered in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras. Lebanon and Syria were among the neighboring nations that felt the earthquake. Goksun, Turkey, was the epicenter of the third earthquake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale.

According to Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay, there have been an additional 20,534 injuries and 3,419 deaths in the country. As a result, 5,102 people were killed, and 1,602 more were found dead on the Syrian side of the border.

After a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey on Tuesday, Turkish police said they had detained four individuals for "provocative" social media posts.

Over 4,800 people were killed in Turkey and Syria by the early morning quake, thousands were injured, and many more were left without shelter in the bitter cold.

According to the police, accounts that shared "provocative posts aiming to create fear and panic" led to the detention of the four individuals.

Also read : Turkey & Syria Earthquake: Death toll surpasses 4000, rescuers scramble for survivors among rubble