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Scattered damage in the country
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“People need help now”
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500 – 1000 feared dead!
Many people have been reported to have died in a major earthquake in eastern province of Van Province. The earthquake was of magnitude of 7.2 and had a depth of 12.4 miles, which is relatively shallow and could potentially cause more damage. Two aftershocks of 5.6 magnitude has also hit the same area within one hour. The epicenter was in the village of Tabanli in the eastern province of Van, bordering Iran, but the quake was also felt in the province’s center as well as the neighboring provinces of Bitlis, Mus, Batman, Diyarbakir and Hakkari.
Talking to NTV, Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, had this to say;
“There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction, We need urgent aid. We need medics.”
Scattered damage has occurred in eastern Turkey with two collapse of building being confirmed. About 50 people are injured, while unconfirmed reports are saying that about 500 – 1000 people have lost their lives. Some 25 apartment buildings and a student dormitory collapsed in the town of Ercis. The Van province is near the Iranian country and it is quite vulnerable to earthquakes. As a matter of face Turkey, lying atop the North Anatolian fault, has been plagued by earthquakes frequently.
EARTHQUAKES IN TURKEY THAT CAUSED 10,000 OR MORE DEATHS
| Year | Lat | Lon | Mag | Deaths | General area |
| 342 | 36.2 | 36.1 | 40,000 | Antakya (Antioch) | |
| 565 | 36.2 | 36.1 | 30,000 | Antakya | |
| 688 | 38.4 | 27.2 | 7.0 | 20,000 | Izmir |
| 847 | 36.2 | 36.1 | – | 20,000 | Antakya |
| 1268 | 39.8 | 40.4 | – | 15,000 | Erzincan-Erzurum |
| 1268 | 37.5 | 35.5 | – | 60,000 | NE of Adana |
| 1458 | 39.9 | 40.4 | – | 30,000 | Erzincan-Erzurum |
| 1509 – Sep 14 | 40.7 | 29.3 | 7.0 | 13,000 | Istanbul |
| 1653 – Feb 23 | 38.2 | 28.2 | 7.5 | 2,500-15,000 | East of Izmir |
| 1688 – Jul 12 | 38.4 | 26.9 | 7.5 | 15,000-20,000 | Izmir |
| 1859 – Jun 02 | 39.9 | 41.3 | 6.4 | 15,000 | Erzurum |
| 1883 – Oct 15 | 38.3 | 26.2 | 7.0 | 15,000 | West of Izmir |
| 1939 – Dec 26 | 39.5 | 38.5 | 7.9 | 30,000 | Erzincan |
| 1999 – Aug 17 | 40.7 | 30.0 | 7.4 | 17,480 | Izmit-Golcuk |
On March, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 and depth of 5.0 kilometres killed some 42 people in the Elazig province of Turkey, just south-west of the Van province. Shoddy construction is usually blamed for many deaths.
Pakistan Weather Portal 