Strong earthquake hits Turkey, up to 1,000 feared killed
23 October 2011, Sunday / TODAYSZAMAN.COM WITH WIRES, İSTANBUL
Tabanlı village residents try to rescue local people from demolished buildings, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake triggered the collapse of several buildings, killing many people.
As many as 1,000 people were feared killed on Sunday when a powerful earthquake struck Turkey, collapsing dozens of buildings and pulling down phone and power lines in the southeast of the country, officials and witnesses said.
The İstanbul-based Kandilli seismology center originally reported that the magnitude was 6.6, but later corrected it to 7.2. The quake occurred at 1:41 p.m. Its epicenter was in the village of Tabanli in the eastern province of Van, bordering Iran, but the quake was also felt in the province's city center as well as the neighboring provinces of Bitlis, Muş, Batman, Diyarbakır and Hakkari. The quake struck at a depth of 5 kilometers.
State-run TRT television reported that 59 people were killed and 150 injured in the eastern town of Erciş, and 25 others died in the provincial center of Van. Another person died in the nearby province of Bitlis.
The Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said in a statement released after the quake that the tremor was strong and caused material damage and some fatalities. It gave no figure for the death toll. The earthquake also toppled some buildings in downtown Van, but the most serious damage was in the neighboring town of Erciş. Several strong aftershocks were also reported.
Kandilli Director Professor Mustafa Erdik also said the quake caused the most serious damage in Van and Erciş and they predicted the death toll to be as high as 1,000. The Cihan news agency said at least 10 died and 60 were injured in Erciş.
Speaking to reporters about the quake, Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay said according to information he had received from the governor of Van and the district governor of Erciş some 10 buildings have collapsed in Van and about 25 have collapsed in Erciş. Stating that there may be more serious damage in some villages, he added that he was not able to give further information about the total death toll.
International offers of aid poured in from NATO, China, Japan, the United States, Azerbaijan, European countries and Israel, whose ties with Ankara have soured since Israeli commandoes killed nine Turks during a raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010.
AFAD said more than 500 search and rescue and health officials were sent to Van from nearly 40 provinces. There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed, there is so much destruction, Zülfikar Arapoğlu, mayor of Erciş, told NTV television. We need urgent aid, we need medics.
Residents spilled out into the streets in panic as rescue workers struggled to rescue people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings, television footage showed. In Van, at least two buildings collapsed, Bekir Kaya, the mayor of Van, told NTV. One of the collapsed structures was a seven-story building, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency. The telephone system is jammed due to panic and we cant immediately assess the full extent of the damage, Kaya said.
The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) announced that some 25 buildings, including hotels and a student dormitory, had collapsed in Erciş. Kızılay immediately began sending aid to the earthquake zone.
They also set up a crisis help desk to oversee developments in the region. Kızılay has started sending tents, blankets and the other supplies to Van from their logistics depots in various neighboring provinces in the region, especially from Erzurum.
In Hakkari, a town around 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the city of Van in southeastern Turkey, buildings could be felt swaying for around 10 seconds during the quake. There was no immediate sign of any casualties or damage in Hakkari, about two-and-half-hours drive through the mountains from Van, around 20 kilometers from the epicenter.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) also reported that the magnitude as 7.2. The USGS originally reported the magnitude as 7.3, but later corrected the figure. It added that the quake had a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), which is relatively shallow and could potentially cause more damage.
Television coverage showed damaged buildings and vehicles, crushed under fallen masonry and panicked residents wandering in the streets. Turkish media said phone lines and electricity had been cut off. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will head to Van to see the damage, the media reported. Main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also announced that he would travel to Van on Monday.
Turkish media said phone lines and electricity had been cut off. The quake's epicentre was at the village of Tabanlı, 20 km north of Van city, Kandilli said.
In Hakkari, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Van, a Reuters correspondent said the building he was in swayed for about 10 seconds during the quake. But there was no immediate sign of casualties or damage in the town, which is about two and a half hours drive through the mountains from Van.
Major geological fault lines cross Turkey and small earthquakes are a near daily occurrence. Two large quakes in 1999 killed more than 20,000 people in northwest Turkey.
An earthquake struck Van province in November 1976 with 5,291 confirmed dead. Two people were killed and 79 injured in May when an earthquake shook Simav in northwest Turkey.
Strong earthquake hits Turkey, up to 1,000 feared killed
23 October 2011, Sunday / TODAYSZAMAN.COM WITH WIRES, İSTANBUL
Tabanlı village residents try to rescue local people from demolished buildings, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake triggered the collapse of several buildings, killing many people.
As many as 1,000 people were feared killed on Sunday when a powerful earthquake struck Turkey, collapsing dozens of buildings and pulling down phone and power lines in the southeast of the country, officials and witnesses said.
The İstanbul-based Kandilli seismology center originally reported that the magnitude was 6.6, but later corrected it to 7.2. The quake occurred at 1:41 p.m. Its epicenter was in the village of Tabanli in the eastern province of Van, bordering Iran, but the quake was also felt in the province's city center as well as the neighboring provinces of Bitlis, Muş, Batman, Diyarbakır and Hakkari. The quake struck at a depth of 5 kilometers.
State-run TRT television reported that 59 people were killed and 150 injured in the eastern town of Erciş, and 25 others died in the provincial center of Van. Another person died in the nearby province of Bitlis.
The Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said in a statement released after the quake that the tremor was strong and caused material damage and some fatalities. It gave no figure for the death toll. The earthquake also toppled some buildings in downtown Van, but the most serious damage was in the neighboring town of Erciş. Several strong aftershocks were also reported.
Kandilli Director Professor Mustafa Erdik also said the quake caused the most serious damage in Van and Erciş and they predicted the death toll to be as high as 1,000. The Cihan news agency said at least 10 died and 60 were injured in Erciş.
Speaking to reporters about the quake, Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay said according to information he had received from the governor of Van and the district governor of Erciş some 10 buildings have collapsed in Van and about 25 have collapsed in Erciş. Stating that there may be more serious damage in some villages, he added that he was not able to give further information about the total death toll.
International offers of aid poured in from NATO, China, Japan, the United States, Azerbaijan, European countries and Israel, whose ties with Ankara have soured since Israeli commandoes killed nine Turks during a raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010.
AFAD said more than 500 search and rescue and health officials were sent to Van from nearly 40 provinces. There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed, there is so much destruction, Zülfikar Arapoğlu, mayor of Erciş, told NTV television. We need urgent aid, we need medics.
Residents spilled out into the streets in panic as rescue workers struggled to rescue people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings, television footage showed. In Van, at least two buildings collapsed, Bekir Kaya, the mayor of Van, told NTV. One of the collapsed structures was a seven-story building, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency. The telephone system is jammed due to panic and we cant immediately assess the full extent of the damage, Kaya said.
The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) announced that some 25 buildings, including hotels and a student dormitory, had collapsed in Erciş. Kızılay immediately began sending aid to the earthquake zone.
They also set up a crisis help desk to oversee developments in the region. Kızılay has started sending tents, blankets and the other supplies to Van from their logistics depots in various neighboring provinces in the region, especially from Erzurum.
In Hakkari, a town around 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the city of Van in southeastern Turkey, buildings could be felt swaying for around 10 seconds during the quake. There was no immediate sign of any casualties or damage in Hakkari, about two-and-half-hours drive through the mountains from Van, around 20 kilometers from the epicenter.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) also reported that the magnitude as 7.2. The USGS originally reported the magnitude as 7.3, but later corrected the figure. It added that the quake had a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), which is relatively shallow and could potentially cause more damage.
Television coverage showed damaged buildings and vehicles, crushed under fallen masonry and panicked residents wandering in the streets. Turkish media said phone lines and electricity had been cut off. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will head to Van to see the damage, the media reported. Main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also announced that he would travel to Van on Monday.
Turkish media said phone lines and electricity had been cut off. The quake's epicentre was at the village of Tabanlı, 20 km north of Van city, Kandilli said.
In Hakkari, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Van, a Reuters correspondent said the building he was in swayed for about 10 seconds during the quake. But there was no immediate sign of casualties or damage in the town, which is about two and a half hours drive through the mountains from Van.
Major geological fault lines cross Turkey and small earthquakes are a near daily occurrence. Two large quakes in 1999 killed more than 20,000 people in northwest Turkey.
An earthquake struck Van province in November 1976 with 5,291 confirmed dead. Two people were killed and 79 injured in May when an earthquake shook Simav in northwest Turkey.
Strong earthquake hits Turkey, up to 1,000 feared killed
We must not forget how the Turks helped us during the Kashmir earthquake a few years back, now whatever we can offer we should give! RIP
