A 7.8 magnitude earthquake across Turkey and Syria has disrupted and taken the lives of thousands of people, with some VALORANT players feeling the devastating effects.
Since the first quake this morning, several other earthquakes have struck the two countries with some reaching magnitudes of over six.
Dot Esports reached out to multiple Turkish VALORANT players following the earthquake. Some of them have shared stories of families that are yet to be contacted and presumed to be under the rubble of fallen buildings as a result of the quake.
Fnatic player Emir “Alfajer” Ali Beder is safe alongside the rest of his family, he told Dot Esports. He said that he wants to help people with relatives that may have been affected by the earthquake.
Natus Vincere player Mehmet “cNed” Yağız İpek told Dot Esports he and his family are safe. He, alongside other players, is reposting several calls for help from Turkish citizens looking to contact family members that may be trapped in the rubble.
Former Heretics player Melih “pAura” Karaduran is safe but he has yet to hear from some of his family members. Some of his cousins are helping with the relief effort to find others, he told Dot Esports. Any news that may be of assistance to pAura and his family can be directed here.
On the earthquake, the VALORANT Turkey Twitter account said “as Riot Games Turkey, our hearts are saddened by the loss of many. We hope that all rescue teams on the ground get to the victims as fast as possible. We also share our deepest sympathies with everyone affected by the earthquake,” according to a translated message from a staffer at Dot Esports.
The relief effort is centralized around the southern area of Turkey and the northern parts of Syria. It is expected that thousands of citizens are unaccounted for while around 1,900 people have been killed as a result of the earthquake at the time of publication with the figure still rising, according to BBC News.
During a search and rescue mission, another quake hit Turkey which was captured on live television.
Update Feb. 6 9:29am CT: The Challengers League Turkey Birlik has been postponed until further notice.
Update Feb. 6 9:42am CT: Close friends are attempting to contact former UnknownPros Female team player Gizem “Luie” Harmankaya, who resides in Kahramanmaraş, one of the Turkish cities that was impacted by the earthquake.
