A Canadian Citizen Is Confirmed Dead In The Turkey-Syria Earthquake
At least one Canadian is among the 39,000 dead.
Kahramanmaraş in Turkey. Right: Destruction from the earthquake.
After a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey and northern Syria on February 6 it's now confirmed that a Canadian citizen has died in the disaster.
The major quake wreaked devastation on both countries and has claimed thousands of lives, but the death toll is still rising as recovery efforts continue.
According to a statement to Narcity from Global Affairs Canada, a Canadian citizen has been counted among the dead.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and terrible destruction caused by the earthquakes in [Turkey] and Syria," said a Global Affairs spokesperson.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian Citizen who passed away in [Turkey]."
The spokesperson went on to state that "Canadian consular officials in Ankara, [Turkey], are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and are providing consular assistance to the family as required."
For privacy reasons, Global Affairs did not provide any more details.
\u201cJust looking at the distribution of magnitude 7 and greater quakes since instrumental records began (~1900), today's M7.8 event is by far the largest quake ever recorded in this region.\nMost large earthquakes have occurred along the Northern Anatolian Fault in N. Turkey.\u201d— Stephen Hicks \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa (@Stephen Hicks \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa) 1675648343
The earthquake was centred around the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, near the country's border with Syria. According to the Associated Press, roughly 39,000 people have died as a result of the catastrophe — 35,000 in Turkey and 3,700 in Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called this earthquake the deadliest in the nation's history, detailing that 105,500 have been injured as a result of the earthquake and its aftershocks.
Tens of thousands of people have also been rendered homeless by the destruction.
In a terrifying video posted shortly after the event, TV journalists in Turkey captured the severe aftershocks of the earthquake live on air.
In the clip, you can hear what looks like buildings falling down and the screams of residents as the TV crew tries to escape to safety.
Luckily, the reporter and crew survived the incident and were quick to help nearby residents get free from the rubble.