Afghanistan earthquakes: “What do we go back to?”

Since Saturday 7 October, Herat Province in western Afghanistan has been hit by three powerful earthquakes as well as innumerable aftershocks of varying strengths. At the Herat Regional Hospital, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs regular activities in the paediatric department, we donated mass casualty kits and erected a total of 10 tents in the hospital compound to … Read more

Afghanistan: MSF is responding to Herat earthquake

Western Afghanistan has experienced three 6.3-magnitude earthquakes and many aftershocks in less than two weeks in October. Together, the quakes and aftershocks have killed more than 2,000 people. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting Herat Regional Hospital, which has received hundreds of injured patients since the first quake.  How MSF supports Herat Regional … Read more

Morocco earthquake: MSF teams mobilise to evaluate needs and support

The powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday night at 11 pm local time. MSF is currently not present in Morocco, but we are establishing contacts with local authorities to immediately send our teams to Morocco to assess local needs and if our support is needed. As with all earthquakes, the search for people buried under … Read more

Cyclone Mocha: aid efforts severely hampered by new restrictions

About 85 per cent of my camp is in ruins after Cyclone Mocha wreaked havoc here. All hut-like houses are destroyed. People who live in houses like these are in dire need of emergency aid since they have no place to stay. Daw Nu MSF Community Health Worker in Sittwe Daw Saw Nu’s house was … Read more

Water and sanitation in northwest Syria: the invisible health threats to displaced people

Jindires, a once-magnificent city located in northwest Syria, near the Turkish border, has been reduced to rubble, bearing the scars of both a relentless war and a recent earthquake. In northwest Syria, nine out of 10 people who were newly displaced by the earthquakes into camps, had been displaced by the war at least once … Read more

MSF starts handing over its Emergency Interventions in Türkiye

As of 31 May, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) will hand over its intervention activities in Türkiye, as the emergency response ends, following the devastating earthquakes that killed 51,000 people in the country’s southeast.  After the first quake struck on February 6, MSF supported Turkish civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in responding to … Read more

Hygiene, Water and a Breath of Fresh Air: MSF’s Support to the Türkiye’s Earthquakes’ Response

Devastating 7,8 and 7,5 Richter magnitude earthquakes, that struck southeast Türkiye on 6 February, have left deep scars in people’s minds and sow fear among the affected population. Over 51,000 people died, 210,000 buildings collapsed and 890,000 suffered heavy or moderate damages due to the earthquakes and their aftershocks.  “The first days were dark ones. … Read more

MSF’s response to earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

On February 6, 2023, magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southeast Türkiye and northwest of Syria, between 4:17 and 4:30 a.m. local time. The initial earthquake, which was centred near Gaziantep in south central Türkiye was the deadliest earthquake to hit the region in twenty years. Since then, over 22 thousand aftershocks have happened and … Read more

Aisha is an MSF midwife supervisor from Azaz in northern Syria

Aisha is a midwife working with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Azaz, northwest Syria. She shares her experience in the aftermath of the earthquakes. When the earthquake struck at 4.17 am, my family and I were asleep. We felt the building shaking above us. We live in a five-storey building – we felt it shaking above our … Read more

Overwhelming needs as earthquakes hit south Türkiye and northwest Syria: MSF scales up its response

Following the powerful earthquakes that hit the south of Türkiye and northwest Syria on February 6th, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), already supporting the population of northwest Syria, has mobilized its team along with local partners to respond to the increasing needs in the area. So far, the United Nations has confirmed more than 9,000 wounded … Read more