Quake Hits Eastern Turkey, Kills At Least 20

World

January 25th, 6:39am

Asharq Al-Awsat

The epicentre was in the small lakeside town of Sivrice in the eastern province of Elazig. AFP

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Turkey on Friday, killing at least 20 people, injuring more than 1000 and leaving up to 30 trapped in the wreckage of toppled buildings, Turkish officials said. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said troops were on standby to help, as rescue teams from neighboring provinces were dispatched to the affected areas. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, assured that all steps were being taken to help those affected by the quake. "We stand by our people," he said in a tweet. "It was very scary, furniture fell on top of us. We rushed outside," 47-year-old Melahat Can, who lives in the provincial capital of Elazig, told AFP. The quake was felt in several parts of eastern Turkey near the Iraqi and Syrian borders, the Turkish broadcaster NTV reported, adding that neighboring cities had mobilized rescue teams for the quake area. "There is nobody trapped under the rubble in Malatya but in Elazig search and rescue efforts are currently under way to find 30 citizens," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Turkey sits on top of two major fault-lines and earthquakes are frequent, according to The Associated Press. "Everybody is in the street, it was very powerful, very scary," said Zekeriya Gunes, 68, from Elazig city, after the quakes caused a building to collapse on her street. "It lasted quite long, maybe 30 seconds," added Ferda, 39. "I panicked and was undecided whether to go out in this cold or remain inside." In 1999, two strong earthquakes struck northwest Turkey killing around 18,000 people. Also in 2010, a magnitude 6 earthquake killed 51 people in Elazig in 2010.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2098631/quake-hits-eastern-turkey-kills-least-20