The devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria might upend politics, too
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces a tough election in May
NOBODY KNOWS how many people lie trapped under the rubble. When two powerful earthquakes hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6th, thousands of buildings collapsed, burying families as they slept. Rescuers are racing to dig them out before they succumb to injury, thirst or the biting cold. By February 9th estimates of the death toll stood at more than 16,000; the true figure may be far higher. The World Health Organisation says it could be 20,000, which would make it even worse than the quake that struck Izmit, 100km (60 miles) east of Istanbul, in 1999, killing some 18,000. Buckled roads, complex terrain and the vast size of the affected area, spreading out along the East Anatolian fault for some 450km, are making the relief effort hellishly difficult to manage.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Seismic shock”
Leaders February 11th 2023
- The battle for internet search
- The devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria might upend politics, too
- Arab petrostates must prepare their citizens for a post-oil future
- How to promote academic freedom in America
- Cold-war lessons from China’s spy balloon
- The humbling of Gautam Adani is a test for Indian capitalism
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