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A strong earthquake causes at least 14 deaths and hundreds of injuries in Turkey and Greece

2020-10-30T18:36:29.398Z


At least 20 buildings have collapsed and Turkish rescue teams are working to rescue survivors who have been trapped


A strong earthquake shook the Turkish Aegean coast this Friday and caused at least two deaths in Greece and another 12 in Turkey, where there are also more than 400 injured, as reported by the Turkish Government's Agency for Disasters and Emergencies (AFAD ).

The most affected locality has been Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey and one of its economic centers, where at least 20 buildings have collapsed.

Rescue teams try to rescue people who have been caught in a race against the clock before the lack of light makes work difficult.

At the moment, 70 people have been rescued alive from under the rubble.

  • Photogallery: The earthquake that has shaken Greece and Turkey, in pictures

The earthquake occurred at 2:51 p.m. local time (two hours less on the Peninsula) in the waters of the Aegean Sea, 17 kilometers from the Turkish coast and at a depth of almost 12 kilometers.

Although initially the Kandilli Seismological Institute in Istanbul announced that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.8, it later raised it to 6.9.

The counterpart institution in the United States places the magnitude at 7. The main earthquake has been followed by several strong aftershocks, some even with a magnitude greater than 5. The Turkish and Greek experts warn that new serious earthquakes could occur in the coming weeks. magnitude greater than 5 and warn of the danger of returning to buildings that may have suffered damage even if they are not perceptible to the naked eye.

Turkish televisions have shown images of several multi-storey buildings completely destroyed and where rescue teams worked at full speed to try to remove the rubble.

Serdar Sandal, mayor of Bayrakli, the district of Izmir where the most buildings have been damaged, explained that even a nine-story building has collapsed, although the teams have managed to rescue at least one woman alive and are trying to remove a child they have already located.

The authorities have asked citizens to stay abroad and not return to their homes if they are damaged.

The Directorate of Religious Affairs has announced that the mosques will remain open to welcome those who cannot return home.

At sea, the earthquake has produced a tsunami and the waves have washed away several sailboats in the port of Sigacik.

“The sea withdrew and came back with great force after eight minutes.

Unfortunately, later we found out that the wave had drowned a neighbor of ours, almost 90 years old, "the mayor of this small tourist town, Yasa Keles, explained to the Habertürk chain:" The shops, the center, all that has been Fortunately, there has not been so much damage to the neighbors' houses. "The mayor of the coastal town of Seferihisar, Ismail Yetiskin, explained that water has also entered there and flooded several houses." We do not have information on the deceased but there probably are. ”He has announced that it has not been possible to establish contact with the fishermen of the town who at the time of the earthquake were fishing in the sea.

Also on the Greek island of Samos, several waves have reached that have covered the streets with water and flooded the premises of the promenade.

On this island, two teenagers have died after being trapped by a wall that collapsed in their wake.

"We are with the victims of the earthquake with all the means at the disposal of the State," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has already contacted the authorities to mobilize resources from other provinces and help those affected.

Despite the tense relations between the two countries in recent months, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has contacted his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, to offer the necessary support.

“I have telephoned President Erdogan to offer my condolences for the tragic loss of life after the earthquake that shook our countries.

Whatever our differences, these are times when our people must stay together ”, published the Greek head of Government, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on his Twitter account.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2020-10-30

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