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Hundreds Perish in 7.3 Degree Earthquake in Turkey

Between 500 and 1,000 are estimated to have been killed by the earthquake that shook the eastern Turkish province of Van Sunday.

The US Geological Survey determined the exact magnitude of the initial tremor to be 7.3 on the Richter scale, after initially announcing 7.6 degrees, against the 6.6 degrees estimated by the Turkish service.

Turkish vice-PM Besir Atalay stated that around 10 buildings have collapsed in the city of Van, and 30 more in the region.

The initial quake was followed by a strong, 5.6 degree aftershock, which left people in panic.

The first tremor occurred at 10.41 GMT, 94.5 km deep, with an epicentre near the village of Tabanli near the Iran border.

Turkey is located in a highly seismic zone. In 1999, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake claimed 18,000 lives in Western Turkey. In 1941, the Van-Ercis earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 claimed 192 lives.

Admin wrote:

[size=55:ozmcwsk0]novinite

Hundreds Perish in 7.3 Degree Earthquake in Turkey

Between 500 and 1,000 are estimated to have been killed by the earthquake that shook the eastern Turkish province of Van Sunday.

The US Geological Survey determined the exact magnitude of the initial tremor to be 7.3 on the Richter scale, after initially announcing 7.6 degrees, against the 6.6 degrees estimated by the Turkish service.

Turkish vice-PM Besir Atalay stated that around 10 buildings have collapsed in the city of Van, and 30 more in the region.

The initial quake was followed by a strong, 5.6 degree aftershock, which left people in panic.

The first tremor occurred at 10.41 GMT, 94.5 km deep, with an epicentre near the village of Tabanli near the Iran border.

Turkey is located in a highly seismic zone. In 1999, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake claimed 18,000 lives in Western Turkey. In 1941, the Van-Ercis earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 claimed 192 lives.

This is for you itchyfeet, Are you safe and hopefully you are, can you give us an account of what has happened and more information as to what you know about the earthquake and the devastation it has caused

I know we have lots of members currently living in Turkey and I hope they are all safe and sound.

Chris wrote:

I know we have lots of members currently living in Turkey and I hope they are all safe and sound.

We all hope so too This just awful news just been listening to it on the radio. Thoughts and prayers are with all the families at this awful time.

Oddy

willowsend wrote:

This is for you itchyfeet, Are you safe and hopefully you are, can you give us an account of what has happened and more information as to what you know about the earthquake and the devastation it has caused

Many thanks for your concern Willowsend we are fine down here in Altinkum which is in the south west of Turkey. Walking into the town yesterday felt strange, with restaurants and bars all having their TV's switched on and everyone watching the devastation which had occured after the earthquake in Van on the east of Turkey. Many Turkish people here had relatives or friends living in that area and were desperately phoning to ensure that they were all safe. Van sits on a fault line and therefore is likely to get a tremor or two every year but this one was a large one of course. The Prime Minister of Turkey is visiting Van today to assess what the government can do and to speak with Turkish people who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by this awful tragedy.

My thoughts go out to all those people who have lost loved ones, and my prayers go out to all the people who are helping in the search for survivours.

Another earthquake in Van, Turkey
People reported dead and at least 100 trapped in the rubble of hotels

willowsend wrote:

Another earthquake in Van, Turkey
People reported dead and at least 100 trapped in the rubble of hotels

This is awful news. I read this on yahoo early. At least four people died and 50 more were buried under rubble from a magnitude-5.7 earthquake that struck eastern Turkey Wednesday night.

Our thoughts an prayers are with them and their family and friends

[size=55:2t1arch6]novinite

Turkey Quake Topples 2 Hotels, 5 Killed, 100 Trapped

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has killed at least five people in eastern Turkey, and trapped at least 100 under collapsed buildings, a deputy prime minister has said.

The death toll came from Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, who spoke to reporters while visiting the stricken zone. He said the deaths occurred when two hotels collapsed. Another 20 people were rescued from the crumbled structures, he said.

About 20 buildings have collapsed, including a six-storey hotel in the city of Van, where dozens of aid workers and journalists were staying, BBC reported.

The quake late on Wednesday and was centred 16km (10 miles) south of Van.

Parliamentary member Nazmi Gur said most of the buildings which collapsed were empty, but three had been occupied when the quake struck at 21:23 (19:23 GMT).

Television pictures from Van showed residents and rescuers trying to lift debris to free people trapped under ruined buildings.

Rescue workers were using high-powered lights to work through the night.

The same region was struck last month by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which killed more than 600 people.

That earthquake struck a little north of Van but the city became the headquarters of the relief effort and has been flooded by aid workers and journalists.

The city was only lightly damaged, but some of the weakened buildings are now thought to have been brought down.