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Turkey earthquake live updates: Fevered rescues underway as death toll tops 6,000 in Turkey, Syria

Turkey earthquake live updates: Fevered rescues underway as death toll tops 6,000 in Turkey, Syria

More than 6,000 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria early Monday, according to officials.

PHOTOS: Massive earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria

The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey's southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.

PHOTO: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook central Turkey early Monday and was followed by a strong aftershock. (Associated Press Staff/AP)
PHOTO: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook central Turkey early Monday and was followed by a strong aftershock. (Associated Press Staff/AP)


Latest Developments


Feb 7, 1:08 PM

Major port suffers damage in earthquake

The Port of Iskenderun in southern Turkey sustained heavy damage on Monday.

The port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Turkey and neighboring Syria.

PHOTO: Smoke rises from burning containers at the port in the earthquake-stricken town of Iskenderun, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
PHOTO: Smoke rises from burning containers at the port in the earthquake-stricken town of Iskenderun, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

"The Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice, as teams look to repair the significant damage caused by the disaster and subsequent fire," shipping group AP Moller Maersk said in a statement Tuesday. "We are currently unable to say exactly how long operations will be stopped at the port, but we will keep customers informed of the latest developments as soon as possible."

Maersk said it was not accepting any new bookings to or from the port and were developing contingency plans with nearby hubs.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky


Feb 7, 1:10 PM

Death toll rises to over 6,200 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll from Monday's earthquake is now 6,256, according to officials.

PHOTO: A man cries as he sits on the rubble of a collapsed building in the rebel-held town of Jindayris in Syria on Feb. 7, 2023, following a deadly quake. (Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images)
PHOTO: A man cries as he sits on the rubble of a collapsed building in the rebel-held town of Jindayris in Syria on Feb. 7, 2023, following a deadly quake. (Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images)

The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 4,544 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Meanwhile, at least 1,712 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky


Feb 7, 11:02 AM

Professional soccer player among the injured

Christian Atsu, a professional soccer player for the Turkish team Hatayspor, was among the more than 8,000 people rescued from the rubble in Turkey, according to his team.

PHOTO: In this file photo taken on June 26, 2019, Ghana's midfielder Christian Atsu chases down the ball during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations football match between Ghana and Benin at the Ismailia Stadium. (Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)
PHOTO: In this file photo taken on June 26, 2019, Ghana's midfielder Christian Atsu chases down the ball during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations football match between Ghana and Benin at the Ismailia Stadium. (Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

Atsu was injured in the quake. The sporting director for Atsu’s team remains under the rubble, according to a team vice president.

Atsu was on Ghana's 2014 World Cup team and also played for Newcastle United in the English Premier League.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky


Feb 7, 9:21 AM

150,000 people left homeless in Turkey

At least 150,000 people in Turkey have been left homeless due to Monday’s deadly earthquake and aftershocks, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

PHOTO: A child watches as people sleep inside a bus following an earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
PHOTO: A child watches as people sleep inside a bus following an earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)


Feb 7, 9:24 AM

23 million people affected in Turkey, Syria

Some 23 million people in Turkey and Syria have been affected by Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks, according to Turkish and Syrian authorities.

PHOTO: A woman is rescued after surviving the earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast on Feb. 7, 2023. (Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images)
PHOTO: A woman is rescued after surviving the earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast on Feb. 7, 2023. (Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images)

About 13.5 million of them are in Turkey, according to Turkish Minister of of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by snow and freezing temperatures in the 10 affected Turkish provinces, Kurum said during a press conference Tuesday in the city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicenter.

-ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Engin Bas and Joe Simonetti


Feb 7, 9:23 AM

Turkey declares 3-month state of emergency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared a disaster zone in the 10 southeastern provinces affected by the devastating earthquakes, imposing a state of emergency in the region for at least three months.

PHOTO: Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building following an earthquake on Feb. 07, 2023, in Iskenderun, Turkey. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)
PHOTO: Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building following an earthquake on Feb. 07, 2023, in Iskenderun, Turkey. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Erdogan said 70 countries have offered to help with the search and rescue operations in Turkey and that his government plans to open up hotels in the southwestern resort city of Antalya to temporarily house people impacted by the disaster.

-ABC News’ Angus Hines


Feb 7, 7:32 AM

Over 8,000 people rescued in Turkey

More than 8,000 people have been rescued in southeastern Turkey since a powerful earthquake and aftershocks struck the region, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said at a press conference on Tuesday.

PHOTO: Muhammet Ruzgar, 5, is carried out by a rescuer from the site of a damaged building, following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
PHOTO: Muhammet Ruzgar, 5, is carried out by a rescuer from the site of a damaged building, following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Some 24,000 first responders are on the ground, including more than 3,200 first responders from 14 other countries who traveled to Turkey to assist with the massive search and rescue effort following Monday’s quake. They are carefully combing through the wreckage and looking for survivors amid the 6,000 buildings that have been either damaged or destroyed, according to Oktay.

-ABC News’ Engin Bas and Joe Simonetti


Feb 7, 11:32 AM

Death toll tops 5,000 in Turkey, Syria

Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 3,419 people and injured another 20,534 in southeastern Turkey, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced during a press conference on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at least 1,603 were killed and 3,649 injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

-ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Engin Bas and Joe Simonetti


Feb 7, 7:09 AM

ABC News witnesses rescue operation in Diyarbakir, Turkey

More than 24 hours after devastating earthquakes, ABC News reporters on the ground are witnessing the fevered effort to rescue survivors at a collapsed apartment building in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.

ABC News learned that crews had recently rescued a woman from what used to be an eight-story apartment building, where the top half now rests on three flattened floors below. The front wall had fallen away, exposing what used to be homes with furniture, pillows and air conditioning units.

PHOTO: A woman is carried out by rescuers from the site of a collapsed building in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023, following a massive earthquake. (Sertac Kayar/Reuters)
PHOTO: A woman is carried out by rescuers from the site of a collapsed building in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023, following a massive earthquake. (Sertac Kayar/Reuters)

In and around the collapsed building, there was a flurry of activity -- but then a moment when it all came to a grinding halt. Generators were turned off, everyone stopped talking and the block went silent. Search and rescue teams thought they may have found another survivor. It was quiet for several minutes, but then the urgent effort returns.

Rescuers continued working in the cold, wet weather while also facing the threat of aftershocks. None of that has deterred them. They know this is a race against time.

-ABC News’ Engin Bas, Ibtissem Guenfoud and Marcus Moore


Feb 6, 9:39 PM

More than 4,000 people dead in Turkey, Syria following earthquake: AFAD

The death toll continues to climb in Turkey and Syria 24 hours after the earthquake struck.

More than 4,300 people have died in the two countries following the devastating earthquake, officials said.

According to the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management Organization (AFAD), 2,921 people have died in the country from the earthquake, with 15,834 people sustaining injuries.

Approximately 6,217 buildings have collapsed and about 7,840 people have been rescued from the debris and rubble, according to AFAD officials.

In Syria, 1,411 people have died since the earthquake struck the region, officials said.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

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