On February 6, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria, followed approximately nine hours later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake located around 59 miles (95 kilometers) to the southwest. This was the most devastating earthquake to hit earthquake-prone Turkey in more than 20 years and was as strong as one in 1939, the most powerful recorded there. The earthquakes caused more than 37,000 people to die and tens of thousands to be injured. More than 5,600 buildings across southeastern Turkey collapsed, leaving people without shelter and in great need of food, blankets, and fuel to leave the city and find safety.