2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes in Türkiye Reconnaissance Report

A M7.8 earthquake occurred in southeast Türkiye, 33 km south-east of Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023 at 4:17 local time at a depth of 10 km. A second earthquake with M7.6 hit the region only 9 hours later at 13:24 local time, 62 km north-east of Kahramanmaraş at a depth or 9 km. The earthquakes occurred along the East-Anatolian fault and affected 11 provinces, resulting in over 50,000 casualties and over 110,000 injuries. More than 100,000 buildings were either collapsed or heavily damaged. Shallow nature of the earthquakes, coupled with strong shakings, as well as the proximity to urban areas and unfavourable soil conditions resulted in widespread devastation. According to the World Bank rapid assessment report released on February 27, 2023 the earthquakes caused an estimated $34.2 billion in direct physical damages in Türkiye, the equivalent of 4% of the country’s 2021 GDP. Turkish Government declared on March 17, 2023 that the total loss was $103.6 billion. The Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering and Seismology/L’Association Canadienne du Genie Parasismique et de la Sismologie sent a reconnaissance team to investigate the performance of engineering infrastructure. The team consisted of 12 members covering expertise in seismology, geology, as well as geotechnical and structural engineering. Their findings are presented in this reconnaissance report.