The Korean community as well as the local embassy is getting nervous as Mr. A, a Korean international student studying at a university in Istanbul, Turkey, has not been contacted. In particular, student A is known to be traveling in the Hatay region, which is close to Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, where the earthquake occurred.
On the morning of the 6th (local time), a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria, killing more than 4,000 people as of the afternoon of the 7th.
In a phone call with News 1 on the 7th, Kim Young-hoon, president of the Turkish Association of Koreans, expressed concern, saying, “A Korean student attending a university in Istanbul went on a trip to the Hatay region, but I couldn’t contact him.”
A post titled ‘Korean Society-Looking for People’ was also posted on social network services (SNS). The author posted, “It seems that Mr. A was in the Hatay area yesterday, but he is currently out of contact.”
The Korean embassy in Turkey also explained, “It is still difficult to see it as a disappearance,” and “we are currently unable to contact them and are in the process of identifying whereabouts.”
Turkiye is in desperate need of help from the international community as cold and fear overlap.
Regarding the local situation after the strong earthquake, Chairman Kim said, “For fear that aftershocks may come again or the damaged house may collapse, local residents and Koreans are not able to enter their homes even in sub-zero weather.”
Chairman Kim said, “Turkeys experienced strong earthquakes in 1999 and 2011 and are in a depressed state due to fear of earthquakes.” He told the local situation.
Then, the situation of the victims was also notified. Chairman Kim said, “Currently, a church has collapsed and nine households residing in Adana have moved to Ankara.”
Chairman Kim said, “Koreans living in the affected area were very scared because there was a huge earthquake early in the morning.” told
Currently, a total of 3,500 Koreans living in Turkey are estimated to be around 2,500 living in Istanbul.
The scale of damage is expected to increase due to continued aftershocks and poor local conditions. Chairman Kim explained, “There have been 120 aftershocks so far, but the intensity is between 4 and 6, which is tolerable.
He added, “The rescue team is doing their best, but the area affected by the earthquake is vast, so we are worried about the victims located in the outskirts.”
Around 12 noon that day, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale occurred in the central region as well.
According to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), at least 2,316 people have died in Turkey since the first visit at 4:17 am, and Reuters and AFP reported that at least 1,440 people have died in Syria.
Injuries are also increasing exponentially. More than 12,000 people were injured in Turkiye and 3,400 in Syria. A total of 5,606 buildings have collapsed so far.
Chairman Kim lamented, “The earthquake in 1999 had a magnitude of 7.4, but the official death toll was 18,000.”
Previously, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 occurred at 4:17 am local time (10:17 am Korean time) in Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey and Kahramanmaras in south-central Turkey, adjacent to the Syrian border. After that, at 1:24 pm local time, a 7.5 magnitude aftershock occurred 59 km north-northeast of Turkiye Kahramanmaras. The depth of the epicenter is 10 km.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.