Rescue teams and civilians are scrambling to save lives after an earthquake in Turkey

WAMU 88.5 | By Chris Remington, June Leffler

Published February 8, 2023 at 4:40 PM CST

Rescue workers tend to Ahmet Findik, 11-year-old survivor, at the site of a collapsed building 60 hours on from the earthquake.

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey has left rescue teams and civilians scrambling to save lives. Since Monday morning, the Turkish, Kurdish, and Syrian people have walked among collapsed buildings looking for loved ones in the rubble.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for a three-month emergency across 10 provinces, but it’s clear a full recovery will take much longer.

This devastation is exasperated by a 10-year conflict in Syria. Politics and international involvement are already making relief efforts tricky for aid workers on the ground.

“The needs are very high in northwestern Syria as this [earthquake] adds a dramatic layer for vulnerable [people] who are still struggling after many years of war,” said Sebastien Gay, MSF head of mission in Syria.

We discuss the destruction caused by the quake and what will come next with journalists, aid organizations, and Middle East experts.

If you would like to help relief efforts in Turkey and Syria, NPR has this guidance for giving. PBS recommends some specific charities to help both Turkish and Syrian relief efforts. The Turkish Embassy is a good place to start for D.C. residents, according to our home station WAMU.