What we will discuss
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that slammed Turkey and Syria on Monday has left more than 6,300 people dead and tens of thousands injured, according to officials. Aid organizations are especially concerned about northwest Syria, where more than 4 million people were already reliant on humanitarian assistance and thousands of buildings collapsed in both nations.
More than 100 aftershocks have occurred in the area, further endangering people and making rescue operations more difficult.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake, one of the biggest to hit the area in more than 100 years, occurred 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles) beneath the surface of Turkey's Gaziantep province, 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi.
Following significant damage from Monday's earthquake and the ensuing fire that broke out among containers at the terminal yesterday evening, the Turkish port of Iskenderun is still closed, according to a statement released on Tuesday by Danish container shipping company Maersk.
According to an updated statement from Maersk on Tuesday, "the Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice, as personnel work to repair the considerable damage caused by the tragedy and ensuing fire."According to the corporation, it is unknown when business will return, so it is working to prepare backup measures, such as redirecting vessels.
When the port can undergo a thorough evaluation of the damage and the length of time recovery activities would take are both unknown, according to Maersk. "At the moment, we are not taking any new reservations.
The business stated earlier on Tuesday that authorities had not yet totally contained the fire.
Separately, Maersk told CNN that it has been coordinating with the EU and other international partners "to analyze and give the support needed in Turkey and Syria" since early Monday morning.