Update: Death Toll Now Over 2,300 Following 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake in Turkey, Syria

By Susie Moore | 10:30 AM on February 06, 2023

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As RedState reported, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and parts of Syria and Egypt in the early morning hours on Monday. As horrific scenes of collapsed buildings and destruction roll in, the Associated Press is now reporting the death toll has climbed to over 2,300 people (and will undoubtedly continue to rise as the search for survivors continues).

BREAKING: More than 2,300 people were killed in the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria early Monday, as rescuers continue to search for survivors in the rubble. https://t.co/T0weYekAse

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 6, 2023

Following the initial quake, there were multiple aftershocks, including a 7.5 magnitude shock approximately 60 miles away.

BREAKING: Several hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey early Monday, a powerful aftershock measuring 7.5 hit the country’s Kahramanmaras province around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. https://t.co/2fmYxXAo3K

— ABC News (@ABC) February 6, 2023

Per the AP:

On both sides of the border, residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside on a cold, rainy and snowy night. Buildings were reduced to piles of pancaked floors, and major aftershocks or new quakes, including one nearly as strong as the first, continued to rattle the region.

Rescue workers and residents in multiple cities searched for survivors, working through tangles of metal and concrete. A hospital in Turkey collapsed, and patients, including newborns, were evacuated from facilities in Syria.

…

The quake, which was centered on Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, was felt as far away as Cairo. It sent residents of Damascus rushing into the street, and jolted awake people in their beds in Beirut.

Further complicating recovery efforts…

The opposition-held regions in Syria are packed with some 4 million people displaced from other parts of the country by the fighting. Many of them live in buildings that are already wrecked from past bombardments. Hundreds of families remained trapped in rubble, the opposition emergency organization, called the White Helmets, said in a statement.

On Monday morning, multiple videos and images of the destruction were being shared on Twitter.