7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey: entire buildings collapsed and people are reported among the rubble

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A powerful earthquake From 7.8 on the Richter scale rocked this monday morning at Turkey. The quake, which had at least one strong aftershock, collapsed buildings and left an initial balance of five dead. Also, hundreds of trapped people They were in the rubble. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said search and rescue teams had already been mobilised. “We hope to get through this disaster together,” he said.

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The earthquake struck southeastern Turkey, although it was felt in other countries, such as Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Syriawhere the buildings also collapsed.

The epicenter of the main shock, which lasted about 30 seconds at around 4:17 local time (01:17 GMT), was the Kahramanmaras region, about 600 kilometers southeast of Ankaraat a depth of seven kilometers, specified the Presidency for the management of disasters and emergencies (AFAD).

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In an initial report, the government has confirmed that five people have died since the earthquake.

The first live images on Turkish news showed collapsed buildings. And although there are currently no victims, there are reports of people trapped under the rubble and messages of desperation on social media.

This was reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). another earthquake of magnitude 6.7 with an epicenter near the first about 15 minutes later, with a depth of 9.9 kilometers.

In addition to the Kahramanmaras disaster, several buildings collapsed in the nearby provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk television reported.

The Syrian state press reported the collapse of some buildings in the city of Aleppo, in the north of the country, as well as in Hama, in central Syria.

In northwestern Syria, under rebel control and bordering Turkey, several buildings have collapsed, the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense said. They claimed the situation was “disastrous”.

Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world. The southern region of Gaziantep is an important industrial and manufacturing center of the country.

Experts have long warned that a major earthquake could devastate Istanbul, allowing for widespread construction without safety precautions.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Elazig in January 2020, killing more than 40 people. And in October of the same year, another of magnitude 7.0 shook the Aegean Sea, causing 114 deaths and more than 1,000 injured.

Earthquake in Turkey: ‘People are panicking’

Yildirim Kurt, a farmer who lives near Kahramanmaras, explained to the Efe news agency that the people of the area “are in panic”.

“We woke up to a massive earthquake. Our house didn’t collapse but everything inside collapsed to the ground,” he said.

“Our neighbors’ house collapsed. We have a problem with communications. We are all outside, in the open air. I was able to talk to relatives in nearby cities. They say many buildings collapsed there,” said Kurt.

Earthquake in Turkey: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s message

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan He launched a message on his social networksminutes after the earthquake.

“I convey my best wishes to all our citizens who have been affected by the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and which was felt in many parts of our country. All of our affected units are in alertErdogan has published.

“Our search and rescue teams were shipped immediately to the areas affected by the earthquake. Our Ministry of Interior and Health, AFAD, governors and all other institutions have quickly started their work,” continued the Turkish president.

And he concluded: “We have also coordinated the activities started after the earthquake. We hope to overcome this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least possible damage”.

New in development

With information from EFE and AFP

DS

Source: Clarin

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