INTERSOS has already deployed its emergency medical teams in northern Syria
On the night between February 5th and February 6th a catastrophic earthquake hit Southern-East Türkiye and Northern Syria, with the epicenter close to the city of Gaziantep in Türkiye. The magnitude was estimated as 7,8 and the earthquake was felt in several Middle Eastern countries including Iraq and Lebanon. The level of destruction is still to be fully assessed, as well as the number of victims and people affected. As we are writing, in the late morning of February 6th, more than 1.200 people lost their lives in the earthquake, but the death toll appears likely to keep rising. Humanitarian actors are mobilised for the response, which now focuses on search and rescue, medical interventions and treatment of the injured people.
INTERSOS immediately activated its emergency teams in Syria to support the first response. One medical unit has been already deployed in Ein Elkorum, Northwestern Hama, and one Mobile Medical team in Hamadaniyeh, near Khan Cheikhoun, in the Governorate of Idlib.