Turkey Earthquake 2011: Powerful 7.2 Earthquake Kills at Least 60 People in Eastern Turkey
A powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey Sunday morning, causing at least 60 deaths, according to reports. The magnitude of the earthquake has been reported to be between 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale.
A Turkish observatory is even estimating that as many as 500 to 1,000 people could have been killed in Van province, the region where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, according to Al Jazeera.
Many people have also been wounded and were being tended to by rescuers and the Turkish Red Crescent. At least 50 people were taken to hospital in Van, Anatolia, according to reports.
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The worst damage was reportedly caused to the town of Ercis, close to the Iranian border. The epicenter was located near the Turkish border with Iraq, as reported by Xinhua News. It was initially determined to be 38.8 degrees north latitude and 43.7 degrees east longitude. The quake was also felt over the border in northwest Iran, causing some panic in major cities, it was reported.
A large number of buildings were damaged, at least 45 to 50, according to MSNBC News.
Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay reportedly said that at least 10 buildings had collapsed in the center of the city of Van, according to CNN.
Televised reports showed masses of people who evacuated their houses and were walking or running on the streets in the city of Van, close to the epicenter of the earthquake. People were also reported to be digging through the rubble with their hands.
The earthquake was the strongest one to hit Turkey in at least a decade, according to CNN.
"There are many people under the rubble," Veysel Keser, mayor of Celebibag, told a Turkish TV station, as reported by Al Jazeera. "People are in agony, we can hear their screams for help. We need urgent help."
"It's a great disaster," he said. "Many buildings have collapsed, student dormitories, hotels and gas stations have collapsed."
The army was reported to be dispatching search and rescue teams to the area and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known to be on his way to Van.
Aftershocks continued after the initial quake.
