Turkey Earthquake: FCDO advising against travel.

In what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as the worst disaster to hit Turkey since 1939, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake has struck in the southeast of the country, near the Syrian border. A second tremor quickly followed, and it is being reported that a new, independent, 7.5 magnitude earthquake has just hit closer to central Turkey.

The epicentre of the first earthquake was near to the city of Gaziantep and the second earthquake was still in southern Turkey, with its epicentre in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.

At the time of writing, more than 2,300 have been killed and thousands more injured with hospitals overrun and many still searching for survivors who might be trapped under collapsed buildings.

In the aftermath of the earthquakes, Turkey has confirmed the closure of schools and the closing or partial closing of many airports, whilst also confirming that centuries old structures like the Gaziantep castle have been severely damaged as a result of these quakes.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) is advising against ‘all travel’ within 10km of the Turkey-Syria border and is advising against ‘all but essential travel’ to Sirnak and the province of Hakkari. Advice regarding Syria has not changed since these developments, with the FCDO advising against ‘all travel’ to the entire country due to the ongoing conflict.

If you are travelling to provide humanitarian aid or are travelling to cover the developments on the ground, then please be aware that standard Travel Insurance is unlikely to provide you with cover for these areas.

High Risk Voyager Travel Insurance is designed to provide cover for individuals and groups travelling against FCDO advise to high risk areas, such as Turkey or Syria.

As this situation continues to develop, please keep up to date with the latest FCDO advise if you are planning to travel to the region. You can find the latest FCDO advice here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey .

Stephen Hicks, a seismologist from the University College London, has warned that there could be thousands of aftershocks for weeks or even months still to come for the region. Whilst the aftershocks that follow closely after tend to be the strongest and decrease in magnitude overtime, you can’t rule out another shock of similar magnitude.

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*Unfortunately, due to the ongoing situation, we are currently unable to provide cover for those travelling to Ukraine or Russia.

This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute advice in any way. The information provided here is correct at the time of writing however please check the latest policy wording for the latest terms, conditions, and exclusions.

**Please find Stephen Hicks comments here: https://news.sky.com/story/turkey-and-syria-earthquake-latest-at-least-195-people-killed-in-7-8-magnitude-tremor-12804459.