2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake

On 6 February 2023 at 04:17 a.m. TRT (01:17 a.m. UTC) there was a very strong earthquake in Gaziantep Province in southeastern Turkey, west of the city of Gaziantep at 04:17 AM TRT. The maximum Mercalli intensity was XI (Extreme), and a magnitude of 7.8 was given. It was equal to the 7.8 magnitude 1939 Erzincan earthquake as the strongest recorded earthquake to hit Turkey in modern times. Only the 7.8–8.0 magnitude 1668 North Anatolia earthquake was more powerful.
It is the deadliest earthquake in the history of Turkey since the 1268 Cilicia earthquake, and has surpassed the 1939 Erzincan earthquake, which killed 32,700–32,968 people, as the deadliest earthquake of the Republic of Turkey, and it is the deadliest worldwide since the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
After the earthquake, there were several aftershocks. The strongest of them had a magnitude of 7.5 that occurred in Kahramanmaraş.
Casualties.
As of 18 February, more than 46,400 deaths have been reported in total; more than 40,600 in Turkey and more than 5,800 in Syria. Numbers are expected to rise, as most of the aid effort has focused on Turkey. There is a civil war in Syria, and accessing the areas affected is more difficult.
Damage.
The earthquake is estimated to have caused US$84.1 billion worth of damage in Turkey alone, making it the fourth-costliest earthquake on record, and one of the costliest natural disasters ever recorded.
The Turkish government carried out a damage assessment of 763,000 buildings in 13 provinces affected by the earthquake. It was determined that 41,791 buildings collapsed or were badly damaged and are in urgent need of demolition.
Criticism of the government.
Many people have criticized the government. Critics point out the following issues, amongst others: