7.8 Richter earthquake in Turkey, felt as far as Syria and Lebanon – Apartment buildings collapsed

Tragedy in Turkey from the strongest earthquake of magnitude 7.8 that occurred in Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday (06.02.2023). Apartment buildings collapsed, there are already 15 dead but there are fears that the toll will be higher. Watch video from the moment Enceladus “hits”.

The earthquake in central Turkey occurred at 04:17 in the morning (local time, 03:17 Greece) a few kilometers from Gaziantep. It was a magnitude 7.8, according to the United States Seismological Institute (USGS). It had a focal depth of 17.9 kilometers. It also had a long duration and its center was located near the city of Kahranmarmaras.

According to AFAD, the Turkish disaster management agency, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.4. The German Geological Survey (GFZ) calculated for its part that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9.

The earthquake was felt as far away as Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus , AFP correspondents reported. It was long, lasting almost a minute , according to a Reuters correspondent.

As a result of the powerful earthquake , apartment buildings collapsed and the death toll so far is 15 . But there are also trapped in the ruins and this is considered a very initial account.

There are 10 dead in Osmaniye province in southern Turkey and another five in Sanliurfa in the southeast, their governors told NTV television and the state-run Anadolu Agency. 

At least 23 people were killed and another 420 injured in Malatya province alone , its governor told Turkish state broadcaster TRT a while ago.

Footage broadcast by Turkish state television network TRT showed residents storming out into the snow-covered streets, while several videos showed people trapped in buildings, some being rescued and others searching for their loved ones. 

According to the mayor in Sanliurfa, 16 buildings collapsed in his own town. A security official said 17 buildings collapsed in Diyarbakır province, adding that residents were trapped in the debris.

The governor of Osmanige province spoke of 34 buildings that have collapsed.   

See the moment of the earthquake

The head of the Red Crescent said resources were being mobilized to help those affected, speaking of widespread damage and calling on those in damaged buildings to evacuate immediately if they could.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu stressed that the priority is to offer help to those trapped and appealed to citizens not to use their mobile phones unless absolutely necessary.

Seismicity in Turkey is among the highest in the world.

In late November, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the northwestern part of the country, causing about 50 injuries and limited property damage, authorities said.

The same area was hit in August 1999 by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that killed at least 17,000 people, including around 1,000 in Istanbul.

In January 2020, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Elazig and Malatya provinces, killing more than 40. In October of the same year, a magnitude 7 earthquake killed 114 people and injured more than 1,000 others in Turkey beaches in the Aegean.

Sourse:newsit.gr