On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 TRT (01:17 UTC), a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey[3] and northern and western Syria.[4][5] The epicenter was 32 km (20 mi) west–northwest of Gaziantep. The earthquake had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), and was followed by a Mw  7.7 earthquake at 13:24.[3] This earthquake was centered 95 km (59 mi) to the north-northeast from the first, in Kahramanmaraş Province. There was widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities.

There was widespread damage in an area of about 350,000 km2 (140,000 sq mi) (around 12 times the size of Belgium).[9] An estimated 14 million people, or 16 percent of Turkey's population, were affected.[10] Development experts from the United Nations estimated that about 1.5 million people were left homeless.[11]

As of 1 March 2023, more than 51,800 deaths were confirmed: more than 45,000 in Turkey, and more than 6,700 in Syria.[12][13] It is the deadliest earthquake in Turkey

Damaged roads, winter storms, and disruption to communications have hampered the national disaster agency AFAD's rescue and relief effort, which included a 60,000-strong search-and-rescue force,[23] 5,000 health workers[24] and 30,000 volunteers.[25] Following Turkey's call for international help, more than 141,000 people from 94 countries joined the rescue effort.