Panic in Istanbul .. Continuous tremors and fears of an upcoming earthquake

Zaher Bey - Istanbul

A panic hit the Turkish city of Istanbul on Thursday after an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, according to the country's disaster and emergency department.

The epicenter of the quake was in the Sea of ​​Marmara off the Silivri region on the European side of Istanbul, and occurred at 2 pm local time, a depth of about seven kilometers, and was felt by residents of Istanbul and nearby Turkish states.

The earthquake comes in light of the observatories for years predicted a severe earthquake hit Istanbul with a magnitude of more than seven degrees, more severe than yesterday's earthquake, but no one could guess the exact date.

Aftershocks
Kandili Observatory and the Seismological Research Institute at the Turkish University of Bogazici warned against aftershocks after yesterday's earthquake, and Asli Dugro, deputy director of the observatory, called on citizens to follow the instructions issued by the official authorities concerned.

Turkish Red Crescent President Karam Geng said on his official Twitter account that he expected aftershocks to continue for two weeks.

The Turkish Department of Disaster and Emergency (Avad) published a statement counting the damage after the earthquake, and explained that residential buildings cracked in the city, indicating that it is not possible to know the day and time of the earthquake.

Because of the importance and seriousness of the event, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came out to reassure citizens, and announced himself injured eight people slightly injured.

Assistant President Fouad Oktay also spoke of the absence of serious damage, loss of life or serious injury, stressing that all ministries are on alert.

According to the newspaper "Hurriyet" Turkish, the earthquake affected the landing of planes in the city, while the newspaper "Cumhuriyet", Turkey, pointed to the disconnection of communication lines, and many ambulances rushed to the site of the collapse of the minaret of the Hajj Ahmed Mosque in the Oglar region.

The state of Istanbul announced the suspension of 14 schools for one day, where these schools undergo a detailed technical examination, to ensure the safety of its buildings after the earthquake.

Panic in the city
Al Jazeera Net has recorded videos circulating widely among Turkish citizens on social media, for the first moments that hit the earthquake.

The earthquake caused panic among the residents of Istanbul, many of them pitching cloth and plastic tents in the gardens and streets and sitting with their families, while others took shelter in their cars amid a state of anticipation and fear.

Thousands of Turkish citizens and foreign residents spent the last night in the open, bringing food, clothes and blankets in a relatively cold atmosphere.

Burhan Demir told Al Jazeera Net that he came to the park with his family like the rest of the families who were forced to stay in the open and feared to return to their homes. He pointed out that they do not intend to return to their home for fear of a new earthquake.

"We do not know where we are going. We are afraid of buildings collapsing on us," she told Al Jazeera Net. "The earthquake rocked us hard and the building swung a lot."

Earlier, the Disaster and Emergency Department advised residents of buildings damaged by the earthquake not to return temporarily.

In turn, the Red Crescent said that aftershocks could continue, and that citizens in buildings at grave risk must leave.

An anticipated earthquake
Regarding a major earthquake, Professor of Geology at Istanbul Technical University Sinan Altintas said that "no one can predict earthquakes, neither the US Geological Survey nor any other scientists have been able to predict large earthquakes. Over a certain number of years. "

He pointed out that yesterday's earthquake is not effective in the big earthquake, neither positively nor negatively, neither postponed nor mitigated nor accelerated.

With regard to the degree of tolerance of buildings to earthquakes, he stressed that the buildings in Turkey were modified designs after the 1999 earthquake, and increased the durability in them significantly.

The Turkish geologist explained that the engineering designs are carried out on the basis of the earthquake map in the region, and not calculated the strength tolerance to the degree of earthquake, but on the strength of the impact energy, which is expected according to what happened from earthquakes in the last 100 years. The magnitude of the earthquakes is not only in its degree, but in its duration and proximity to the surface of the earth and the resulting movement and the construction site of the line of movement.

In the event of an earthquake, Altintash recommended gathering family members close to the doorways, avoiding the use of electric lifts, shutting down water, electricity and gas traps immediately, and avoiding windows, mirrors, entrances, high furniture, chandeliers and wall and ceiling objects.

He concluded by emphasizing attention to this matter at the personal, community and official level, and at the level of housing, as well as in terms of education, learning and preparation for the great earthquake, including taking information from sources and accuracy in the transfer.