World News for Students of English

09-02-2023 07:00

Early Monday morning, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit parts of Turkey and Syria. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck near the town of Gaziantep, Turkey, and it was 10 kilometers deep.

The earthquake toppled hundreds of buildings and killed thousands of people.

According to officials, thousands of children may be among the dead following the earthquake and aftershocks. Hundreds are still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the death toll is expected to rise. Local people and rescue workers spent the night searching for survivors in metal tangles and giant concrete piles.

Countries around the world are sending support to help the rescue efforts, including specialist teams, sniffer dogs and equipment. However, the earthquake caused significant damage to three airports across Turkey which created challenges for aid deliveries. Turkey is near several fault lines and is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.

Difficult words: aftershock (a smaller earthquake that follows a large one), sniffer dog (a dog trained to find things or people by smell), fault line (a long crack in the surface of the earth).

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