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18 dead, 553 injured as massive quake of magnitude 6.8 rocks Turkey’s Elazığ

At least 18 people were killed, and 553 others were injured after a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 rocked the eastern Turkish province of Elazığ on Friday evening. "Death toll in Elazığ earthquake has risen to 18; 405 people were injured in Elazığ and 148 others in Malatya. We are doing our best to rescue 30 people trapped under a collapsed building," Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said after the quake. The temblor reportedly lasted 15 seconds.

At least 18 people were killed, and 553 others were injured after a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 rocked the eastern Turkish province of Elazığ on Friday evening. “Death toll in Elazığ earthquake has risen to 18; 405 people were injured in Elazığ and 148 others in Malatya. We are doing our best to rescue 30 people trapped under a collapsed building,” Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said after the quake. The temblor reportedly lasted 15 seconds.

“170 additional ambulances have been dispatched to Elazığ and Malatya provinces. Air ambulances are also ready to help the affected,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca stated.

According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the quake struck Elazığ’s Sivrice district at 8:55 p.m. (1755 GMT) from a depth of 6.7 kilometers.

Soon after the initial quake, the province was shaken further by a series aftershocks ranging from between a magnitude 5.4 to 3.3.

According to initial reports, the earthquake was felt in provinces as far as southern Adana and northern Samsun, along with northern Syria and Iraq.

The Interior Minister also said several buildings collapsed or sustained damages following the tremor.

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the army was ready to step into action if need be. Soon after the quake, officials said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, blankets and tents were dispatched to Elazığ and neighboring provinces. Thousands of search and rescue crews, as well as medical personnel were also sent to the area.

USGS data showing where the Elazığ earthquake was felt the most

Davut Gül, the governor of Gaziantep province, said there were no life or material loss according to initial reports and offered condolences to locals.

Şanlıurfa Governor Abdullah Erin said the situation did not look dire according to the initial reports, and added that the disaster agency stepped into action right after the incident.

Tuncay Sonel, the governor of Tunceli province, said the quake was felt in the province but it did not inflict heavy damage as authorities observed no casualties so far.

In 2010, Elazığ province was hit by a 6-magnitude earthquake, killing a total of 51 people.

Turkey is among the world’s most seismically active countries as it is situated on several active fault lines, and dozens of minor earthquakes and aftershocks occur daily. The most potentially devastating fault line is the North Anatolian fault line (NAF), where the Anatolian and Eurasian plates meet.

A strike-slip fault that formed as the Anatolian plate was being pushed northwestwards by the Arabian plate, the NAF has produced devastating earthquakes throughout history.

More than 17,000 people were killed and over 43,000 were injured when a magnitude 7.4 quake rocked the Marmara region for 37 seconds in the early hours of Aug. 17, 1999, with its epicenter located in Gölcük province, some 75 kilometers southeast of the Bosporus.

Three months later, on Nov. 12, 1999, 845 people were killed and nearly 5,000 injured when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Düzce province, about 120 kilometers northeast of Gölcük.

In September, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in the Marmara Sea shook Istanbul and sent panic across the city, injuring 34 and damaging 473 buildings.

 

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