Quake Kills at Least 75 in Southeast Turkey

Posted October 23rd, 2011 at 3:20 pm (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

A powerful earthquake in Turkey's southeast has killed at least 75 people and injured 150 others.

Rescue workers used generators to power their search equipment in the dark night, hours after a magnitude 7.2 quake struck Van province about midday Sunday . The earthquake wiped out electricity in several areas and shook many multi-storied buildings to the ground.

Authorities say the town of Ercis is the hardest hit. Several strong aftershocks were recorded.

Countries, including the United States and Israel, have offered assistance to Turkey. U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday the U.S. is following the quake reports with great concern and will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Turkey during this difficult time.

Turkey has not yet called for international aid to help with the crisis.

Officials say the wreckage includes hotels and a dormitory. Survivors said cries from those trapped in the rubble were heard hours after the quake. The mayor of Ercis issued a call for urgent aid, saying there are many dead.

The city of Van also has damage and casualties. Television footage shows collapsed buildings and crushed vehicles in Van, and people using shovels and pry bars to claw through wreckage for survivors.

State television said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was traveling to Van late Sunday, and the government set an emergency Cabinet meeting for Monday.

Major geological fault lines cross the region and small earthquakes are a frequent occurrence.