Earthquake in Turkey: the balance sheet increases, race against the clock of the rescuers

The earthquake that struck eastern Turkey on January 24 left at least 31 dead, according to a new report by authorities on Sunday, as rescuers continued to search for rubble in the morning looking for of survivors in downtown Elazig.

The number of people injured in the provinces of Elazig and Malatya also amounts to 1,607, said the government agency for disaster situations (AFAD).

The earthquake occurred Friday at 5:55 pm GMT in the province of Elazig. It was measured at a magnitude of 6.7 by the American institute USGS. According to AFAD, 45 people have been found alive in the rubble since Friday.

The powerful earthquake that struck eastern Turkey has left at least 31 dead, according to a new report announced by the authorities on Sunday #AFP pic.twitter.com/qpAJa9qwyz

In addition, nearly 80 buildings collapsed in Elazig and Malatya, and 645 homes were severely damaged, the source said.

Saturday evening, a replica of magnitude 5.1 heightened the fear of the inhabitants, who by the thousands rushed into the street with cries of "earthquake, earthquake!" According to the government agency for disaster situations (AFAD), more than 500 aftershocks of magnitude between 1.0 and 5.1 have occurred since the initial tremor.

Around 2,000 rescuers mobilized

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the two affected provinces on Saturday, saying that "the necessary measures will be taken immediately (...) to ensure that no one is left homeless". According to the Turkish presidency, around 2,000 rescuers have been dispatched to the province of Elazig and the neighboring province of Malatya, also hard hit.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said more than 15,000 people are staying in gymnasiums and schools, and more than 5,000 tents have been set up in the city to accommodate residents.

Immediately after the earthquake on Friday, Internet users attacked the authorities' "laxity" in terms of anti-seismic standards, an accusation that the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejects.

On Saturday, the Ankara prosecutor's office announced the opening of an investigation targeting the perpetrators of "provocations" on social networks.

Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world. In 1999, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the northwest of the country, killing more than 17,000 people, including a thousand in Istanbul.

The last powerful earthquake to hit Turkey (7.1 on the Richter scale) occurred in 2011 in the eastern province of Van, killing more than 600 people.

In September, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Istanbul, the country's economic capital.

Experts believe that a major earthquake can affect this city of more than 15 million inhabitants at any time, where the often anarchic habitat is rarely earthquake-resistant.

With AFP

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