Turkey

Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes: At least 3,000 dead

Rescue efforts continue after two major earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Pazarcık and Elbistan. As of 09.30 in Turkey time, the death toll was announced as 3 thousand 385.

Two major earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and 7.6 in the Elbistan district destroyed 10 cities. More than 24 hours have passed since the earthquake. The death toll is increasing every hour.

The destruction caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş at 04:17 yesterday increased with the second earthquake of 7.6 magnitude in the Elbistan district at 13.24. The cities most affected by the earthquake are Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.

7 days of national mourning was declared across Turkey and the flags were drawn at half-mast.

As of 09.30, the number of dead was announced as 3 thousand 385, the number of injured as 20 thousand 426 and the number of destroyed buildings as 11 thousand 302.

Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said, “The earthquake directly affected 13.5 million of our citizens.”

According to the statement made by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), 13 thousand 740 search and rescue personnel are on duty.

Many buildings on Trabzon Street in the city center of Kahramanmaraş were demolished. Search and rescue efforts continue.

Rescue efforts are also continuing at the Kırçuval Hotel in the Battalgazi district, where 11 volleyball players and 4 amputee football players from the Metropolitan Belediyespor team are staying in Malatya. The works are carried on with difficulty due to heavy snowfall with the support of construction equipment. While the earthquake victims stayed in the shelters determined by the governorship and the municipality, the majority of them spent the night in their vehicles.

Most of the citizens outside tried to warm up by burning the items removed from the rubble.

In Adana, where 12 buildings were destroyed in earthquakes, search and rescue efforts continued throughout the night in the debris areas. In the works where construction equipment and cranes are used, concrete blocks are removed and the citizens who are stranded are tried to be reached.

Citizens also support the teams. While the search and rescue efforts continue, the hopeful waiting of the families at the head of the wreckage continues.

While the bodies of 140 people have been recovered from the destroyed buildings in the rescue efforts that have continued so far in Adana, 2500 people who were injured are being treated in the hospitals they were taken to.

The Deadliest Earthquake of the Last 10 Years

While Turkey was shaken by earthquakes that occurred one after the other, statements that caused concern came from the USA.

The Wall Street Journal, one of the leading newspapers in the USA, shared data revealing the extent of the earthquake.

The Wall Street Journal, which shares the data of the US Geological Survey (USGS), said, “According to the data of the USGS, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Turkey may be one of the deadliest earthquakes of the last 10 years. A few hours after this earthquake, there was another 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

The US newspaper, which shared the data of the USGS, said, “USGS estimates that the loss of life from the earthquake can reach 10 thousand and economic loss of 1 billion dollars will occur. “Seismologists blame poorly constructed buildings for turning the earthquake into such a disaster.”

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Roger Bilham, a scientist at the Environmental Sciences Research Institute at the University of Colorado, also made statements. Pointing out that building codes changed after the earthquake in 1999, Bilham said, “The 7.8 magnitude earthquake is the highest level that many buildings can withstand. “The worst time to happen is that the earthquake happened in the early hours of the morning,” he said.

While it was stated that the earthquake shook a densely populated area, the deadliest earthquakes in recent years were also listed.

Reminding that more than 2,000 people died and more than 60 thousand buildings were destroyed in the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Haiti in 2021, the Wall Street Journal said, “In 2018, more than 2,000 people died in the 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia. More than 9,000 people died in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015.

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