Earthquake may have moved Turkey three metres, Italian seismologist says

Follow the latest on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey on Monday may have moved the country by three metres south-west, says the head of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

“It is as if Turkey had moved to the south-west and Arabia to the north-east,” Carlo Doglioni, told Italy24.

The earthquake’s death toll has reached more than 8,000, with almost 6,000 people killed in Turkey and more than 1,220 dead in north-western Syria.

Turkey sits above major fault lines bordering the planet’s Anatolian Plate, Arabian Plate and Eurasian Plate, making it prone to earthquakes.

Dr Doglioni said: “What we call the Arabian plate moved about three meters along the north-east south-west direction in relation to the Anatolian plate. We are talking about a structure in the border area between this world, that of the Arabian plate and that of the Anatolian plate.”

He said more information was needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

Some tales of survival have been shocking, others devastating, even for White Helmets rescue members who have been operating for 11 years since the war in Syria.

“At least during air strikes, which have been horrific, we knew they would eventually stop and were targeting specific areas,” Hamid Qatini, a veteran White Helmets rescuer now working with peers in north-western Syria’s most affected areas, told The National.

“Here, the damage is much greater and the feeling of helplessness is much stronger.

“They’re both difficult situations, but the earthquake’s devastation has been more difficult to deal with. Every time we rescue someone, we feel joy but we have seen very tragic scenes that will undoubtedly sink in later.”

As aid pours into Turkey, with the first batch of aid from Egypt and the UAE arriving at Damascus airport, the UN said it is temporarily halting aid into north-western Syria that flows from Turkey due to roads being damaged in the quake.