3,660 people died in the earthquake, many countries are ready to support Türkiye and Syria to overcome the consequences

Qatar and Kuwait have set up two airlifts, including rescue teams, medical personnel and supplies of relief goods, tents and supplies. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the setting up of a field hospital and dispatched two search and rescue teams, in addition to providing emergency relief to those affected by the earthquake.

The earthquake left severe damage in the Turkish city of Malatya. Photo: Aljazeera.

King Abdullah II of Jordan has also ordered the provision of necessary aid to the affected people in the two countries hit by the earthquake. Algeria and Lebanon have also announced that they will send rescue teams to Türkiye to support the search and rescue efforts. The foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia and Oman have expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The international community has also expressed solidarity and readiness to assist Türkiye and Syria in overcoming the consequences of the severe earthquake. US President Joe Biden has directed US agencies to be ready to provide all necessary assistance to Türkiye in relation to the earthquake.

The European Union (EU) announced that 13 European countries have offered to send rescue teams to contribute to the earthquake relief efforts. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU crisis management commissioner Janiz Lenarcic said that 10 search and rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania were quickly mobilized to support relief efforts on the ground.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the victims of the earthquake, stressing that Russia is ready to provide necessary assistance. The Russian Emergencies Ministry announced that it is ready to send a 100-member search and rescue team to Türkiye to help deal with the effects of the earthquake.

Rescue workers are actively searching for survivors in the rubble - Photo: Aljazeera.

In addition, many other countries such as Sweden, Azerbaijan, Spain, Poland, Malaysia, and India have announced their readiness to send rescue teams, medical supplies, and relief goods to Türkiye and Syria to support humanitarian relief work for those affected.

The earthquake that occurred in the early morning of February 6 in southern Türkiye was the largest earthquake recorded in the past 100 years in this country. Türkiye and Syria were the two countries most severely affected by this terrible earthquake.

Earthquake continues in Türkiye and aftershocks in Syria on the night of February 6

A new earthquake struck southeast Türkiye at midnight local time and an aftershock hit Syria.

Rescuers and volunteers search for victims and survivors trapped in the rubble after a strong earthquake in Besnia village, near the town of Harim, Idlib province (Syria), bordering Turkey. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

The Turkish seismological agency reported that a new earthquake has struck the southeastern city of Kahramanmaras. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.5. The Syrian news agency SANA also reported that an aftershock occurred on Monday evening, originating from the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaraş. The tremors were felt in Aleppo and Homs.

As of early morning on February 7, according to regional sources, the death toll in Türkiye and Syria due to the earthquake on the morning of February 6 had risen to more than 3,660. Of which, the Turkish disaster management agency said that the death toll in the country had increased to 2,316 people, the number of deaths in Syria increased to 1,440 people. The earthquake injured thousands of people in Türkiye and Syria, and destroyed thousands of houses.

Rescue teams are urgently searching for people trapped in the rubble. The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency has mobilized thousands of equipment and vehicles for search and rescue. So far, the number of people rescued from the rubble in Turkey has reached 6,445. The Turkish Red Crescent has sent volunteer teams to serve meals to the areas. Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Shahin said that half of the city's buildings had been destroyed. The city has problems securing gas, bread and blankets.

In northern Syria, aid teams expect the death toll to rise as hundreds of families are buried under the rubble and heavy rescue equipment is lacking. Syria has seen 160 buildings completely collapsed and 330 partially collapsed, with thousands more cracked in the northwest.

Heavy damage was reported in areas closest to the Turkish border, such as the cities of Azaz, Jarabulus, Jenderes (north of Aleppo) and Sarmada (north of Idlib).

Location of the earthquake epicenter in Türkiye early morning February 6. Graphics:Reuters.

Türkiye is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Izmit, southeast of Istanbul, killing more than 17,000 people. In 2011, an earthquake struck the eastern city of Van, killing more than 500 people.