22 Dead, 1,030 Injured As Massive Quake of Magnitude 6.8 Rocks Turkey’s Elazig

 

At least 22 people were killed and 1,243 others were injured after a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 rocked the Eastern Turkish province of Elazig Friday evening.

In a news conference held later on Saturday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said four people died in Malatya’s Doganyol district in addition to 18 others in Elazig province, raising the total death toll to 22. Soylu said 39 survivors have been pulled out from rubble since the earthquake. Efforts are still ongoing to rescue 22 people believed to be under rubble in various locations across Elazig, he added.

The number of survivors later reached 43, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The latest person who was rescued was 65-year-old Ayse Yıldız, who was pulled from the rubble in Elazig’s Mustafa Pasa neighborhood 19 hours after the earthquake.

In one of the most encouraging developments of the day, a woman named “Azize” was pulled out from rubble in Elazig’s Mustafa pasa neighborhood 17 hours after the earthquake, bringing the total number of rescued locals to 41.

The woman was contacted by a member of the National Medical Search Team (UMKE) through her cellphone and instructed both in Turkish and Kurdish to keep herself and others around calm. The conversation was broadcast live on air, and Azize’s rescue sparked a wave of joy and relief throughout the country.

Mirac Disli, a 12-year-old boy who was rescued 11 hours after the earthquake, later died in the hospital. The Turkish Red Crescent said in a tweet that Disli had volunteered for a project last year.

Disli’s 6-months pregnant mother and father, who were also pulled from the rubble 12 hours after the tremor, are currently receiving treatment.

AFAD said that 18 people were killed and 654 people were injured in Elazig, the hardest-hit province. Four people were killed and 226 people were injured in the neighboring Malatya province with the main damage occurring in the Doganyol district. Dozens of others were also wounded in southern and southeastern provinces of Adiyaman, Kahramanmaras, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa and Batman. Soylu said a prison in Adiyaman province, which was damaged in the earthquake, will be evacuated.

Along with Soylu, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and the Minister of Environment and Urban Development Murat Kurum arrived in the province late Friday to help coordinate rescue and relief efforts. Koca earlier said that 1,031 people have been brought to hospitals with various injuries. Some 137 patients continue to receive treatment but none remain in critical condition, he added.

The quake struck Sivrice district at 8:55 p.m. (1755 GMT) at a depth of 6.7 kilometers, according to AFAD. Sivrice, a town with a population of about 4,000 people, is situated south of the Elazig city center on the shores of Lake Hazar. The lake is one of the most popular tourist spots in the region and the source of the Tigris River. It is home to a “Sunken City,” with archaeological traces dating back 4,000 years in its waters.

Soon after the initial quake, the province was shaken further by at least 401 aftershocks with at least 13 above magnitude 4, with the highest being an aftershock of magnitude 5.4.

The earthquake caused panic among residents of major cities of Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa and Adiyaman. No major damages were reported from the region. According to initial reports, the earthquake was felt in provinces as far as southern Adana and northern Samsun, along with northern Syria and Iraq. Local media in Lebanon said the cities of Beirut and Tripoli also felt the quake, along with similar reports from Israel.

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government is taking all steps to provide aid and assistance to people affected by the quake, which caused widespread fear. “We stand by our people,” Erdogan said Friday on Twitter.

The president canceled his scheduled attendance at the 33rd general assembly and award ceremony of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) at Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul for Saturday.

Erdogan later arrived in Elazig, where he attended the funeral of a mother and son who lost their lives in the earthquake. He later visited areas where collapsed buildings are located, along with hospitals that admitted individuals injured in the earthquake.

“170 additional ambulances have been dispatched to Elazig and Malatya provinces. Air ambulances are also ready to help the affected,” Koca stated earlier on Friday. The search and rescue operations are continuing and the death toll could rise, said Koca. Soylu said the injured were transferred to hospitals and facilities have been opened to serve those who have been affected.

Five buildings in Sivrice and 25 in Doganyol district were destroyed, said Kurum. He also cautioned residents not to go into damaged buildings.

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the army was ready to step into action if need be.

Soon after the quake, officials from throughout Turkey announced hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, blankets and tents were dispatched to Elazig and neighboring provinces. Thousands of search and rescue crews, as well as medical personnel, were also sent to the area.

AFAD announced that 3,699 search and rescue personnel and 554 vehicles have been dispatched to Elazig, along with 108 NGO personnel and volunteers.

Some 250 technical personnel are working for damage assessment mainly in Malatya and Elazig provinces, the agency said, adding that 81 buildings were found to be heavily damaged and 53 partially damaged, in addition to 30 buildings that collapsed.

Communication companies announced free telephone and internet services for residents in the quake-hit region, while Turkish Airlines announced extra flights.