ELAZIG (Turkey): Powerful earthquake has jolted Elazig Province of eastern Turkey left more than 21 dead, over 1015 injured and more than 30 missing. The quake was scaled 6.8 magnitude at rechter scale.
Rescue operation was kicked off after powerful tremor and teams searched people through the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors on Saturday.
The tremor 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.
At least 30 people were missing following the tremor with magnitude 6.8 quake on Friday night, which had its epicentre in the small lakeside town of Sivrice in the eastern province of Elazig.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan show concern on this tragedy and said all steps were being taken to aid people affected by the quake, which caused widespread fear.
“We stand by our people and possible help and assistance be provided to affectees,” Erdogan said on Twitter.
The Turkish government’s disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD) said the quake hit Sivrice at around 8.55 pm (1755 GMT). Turkey lies on major faultlines and is prone to frequent earthquakes.
Turkish television showed images of people rushing outside in panic, as well as a fire on the roof of a building.
Interior, environment and health ministers, who were in the quake zone, said the casualties were in Elazig province and in the neighboring province of Malatya, which lies to the southwest.
At least 21 people died and 1,015 others were wounded, according to AFAD.
“There is nobody trapped under the rubble in Malatya but in Elazig search and rescue efforts are currently under way to find 30 citizens,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Friday night.
Rescue teams were searching for survivors trapped under debris of damaged buildings after a powerful quake jolted the area. Emergency staff and people waiting at the scene lit fires in the streets to stay warm in freezing temperatures.
Sports centres, schools and guest houses had been opened to accommodate quake victims in Malatya.
Sivrice — a town with a population of about 4,000 people — is situated south of Elazig city on the shores of Hazar lake — one of the most popular tourist spots in the region and the source of the Tigris river.
The lake is home to a “Sunken City”, with archaeological traces dating back 4,000 years in its waters.
The US Geological Survey assessed the magnitude as 6.7, slightly lower than AFAD, adding that it struck near the East Anatolian Fault in an area that has suffered no documented large ruptures since an earthquake in 1875.
In 1999, a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Izmit in western Turkey, leaving more than 17,000 people dead including about 1,000 in the country’s largest city Istanbul.
In September last year, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook Istanbul, causing residents to flee buildings in the economic capital.
Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate the city of 15 million people, which has allowed widespread building without safety precautions.
Read more: Abid Sher files complaint against Vawda at UK’s NCA
