On Feb. 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the region of southern Turkey and northern Syria. This was followed by a second earthquake of magnitude 7.5. As of today, more than 21,000 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria and this figure is expected to rise.

Syria’s existing complex humanitarian emergency as a result of the war is among the largest humanitarian crises in the world and has now been exacerbated by the earthquake. One obstacle in assessing the death toll and response efforts in Syria is that the government does not control all of the northwest, the area hardest hit by the earthquake.

Turkey is located in one of the most active earthquakes and volcanic regions in the world. The persistent potential for large-scale disasters led to the establishment of the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (TCIP) in 1999 which eventually transformed from a government-sponsored program into one of the most trusted brand names in the Turkish insurance industry.

insurancepe’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the recent earthquake in this region.