Turkey commemorates third anniversary of devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquakes

Residents of Turkey are remembering more than 53,000 people who lost their lives in the catastrophic earthquakes that struck the Kahramanmaraş region three years ago.

On Feb. 6, 2023, two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 7.6 struck at 04:17 and 13:24 local time, affecting over ten provinces with a combined population of 14 million. Around 107,000 people were injured, and 676,000 homes and 115,000 commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed across 120,000 square kilometers, with losses exceeding 150 billion USD.

The disaster response mobilized 11,488 rescuers from 93 countries, 35,250 local search and rescue personnel, and 142,000 members of Turkey’s security services. Thirty-four fully equipped field hospitals were set up in the affected areas.

For temporary shelter, over 1 million tents were delivered and 350 tent settlements established, accommodating 2.5 million people. By September 2023, hundreds of thousands had been relocated to 428 modular container settlements or dormitories, with more than 351,500 families receiving a total of 1.45 billion USD in rent support.

Humanitarian assistance included around 150,000 aid trucks delivering food and supplies, with daily distributions averaging 4 million hot meals and 20 million food packages.

Large-scale reconstruction began on the 15th day after the disaster under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s directive. Across 174 districts in 11 provinces, 3,481 construction sites employed 200,000 engineers, architects, and workers. By the end of 2025, more than 455,000 buildings were completed.

The government provided interest-free loans with a two-year grace period over ten years, and rebuilding efforts continue, gradually erasing the devastation of what has been called the “disaster of the century.”