Ihlas New Agency (IHA) via REUTERS
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria early Monday morning has set off a cascade of destruction, as strong aftershocks have buffeted the region and killed thousands.
A magnitude 6.7 aftershock followed the first tremor at around 4 am local time; then, nine hours later, another massive shock measured to be a magnitude 7.5 struck the north, which was followed by smaller aftershocks. These aftershocks are devastating in their own right, causing buildings to collapse and knocking down an ancient Roman castle, putting people in constant danger. And unfortunately, this may be just a taste of what the region will contend with for many, many more months.
“The number of aftershocks will decrease with time, but large events can continue to occur, for months or longer,” Jacha Polet, a geophysics researcher at Cal Poly Pomona, tweeted Monday morning. And experts on social media and in the press conveyed similar sentiments.