WATCH: Terrifying video shows building collapse during Turkey earthquake that left over 4000 dead

Several patients had to be evacuated from hospitals (image via Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images )
Several patients had to be evacuated from hospitals (image via Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images )

On February 6, 2023, Monday, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that impacted South Eastern Turkey and Syria left over 4000 people dead. In a shocking footage of the earthquake, an apartment building collapses in Turkey's Sanliurfa as terrified bystanders attempt to escape the destruction.

In the footage of the incident, several onlookers can be shouting as the 7-storey apartment building comes toppling down before their eyes. As it falls, vast amounts of dust can be seen rising from the rubble as people try to escape. The New York Post reported that the apartment building in the video was among several structures destroyed in the natural disaster.

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CNN reported that following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, another 7.7-magnitude earthquake afflicted the region. The WHO reported that as officials continue to inspect the rubble, the death toll is expected to rise.


Bystanders and officials discuss one of the worst earthquakes in Turkey's recent history

As per Al Jazeera, the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria is the largest the region has seen since the 7.8-magnitude Erzincan earthquake in 1939, which led to the deaths of over 32,000 people.

Catherine Smallwood, the senior emergency officer for the WHO in Europe, told AFP reporters that casualties are still being found.

Smallwood said:

"We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows."

The collapsing building in the video indicates a greater problem, as no structure will be considered safe to enter in the coming days. Dr. Mazen Kewara, a Turkey-based director of the Syrian American Medical Society, told CNN reporters that this has complicated the process of aiding victims.

Kewara said:

“We cannot use the buildings anymore. Maybe for hours. Maybe until tomorrow. I don’t know. Next to my building, about 200-300 meters, there’s a collapsed building. There are many buildings that have collapsed in Gaziantep."

Kewara added that patients have had to be evacuated from hospitals due to the collapsing infrastructure.

He continued:

“We have four of our hospitals damaged severely by the earthquake. We have evacuated two of them."

Several victims told reporters from the BBC that the earthquake reminded them of an 'apocalypse' or 'armageddon.' An unnamed woman in Diyarbakir, Southeast Turkey, told Reuters reporters that she is still searching for 2 of her sons.

She said:

"We were shaken like a cradle. There were nine of us at home. Two sons of mine are still in the rubble, I'm waiting for them."

The relief efforts for the victims of the 2023 earthquake are still ongoing. Besides the 4300 people who died in the accident, over 19,000 injuries have been reported.

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