As a result of a strong earthquake on the night of February 6, more than 600 people died in the southeast of Turkey and in the north of Syria. The number of victims of the disaster in Turkey exceeded 280 people, more than 2000 were injured, informed on Monday, the country's vice president, Fuat Oktai. According to him, at least 1710 buildings were destroyed or damaged in various cities of Turkey
Syrian authorities have registered at least 230 dead and more than 600 wounded, the Syrian Ministry of Health said. In turn, the charity SAMS, which works in rebel-held areas, reported more than 100 dead in those areas.
Earthquake with a magnitude of 7,4
According danimi The European Seismological Center recorded the earthquake at 04:17 at a depth of 7 kilometers with a magnitude of 7,4. After the first earthquake, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 04 was registered in Gaziantep at 26:6,4. As of 08:00, another 50 aftershocks were recorded, the strongest of which was 6,6 points.
The epicenter of the 7,4-magnitude earthquake was the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras near the border with Syria. Another 6,6-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Gaziantep province a short time later. Earthquakes were also felt in other regions, including the capital Ankara, Adana, Nevsehir, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Mersin, Hatay. As the Al Arabiya TV channel notes, the earthquake was felt by residents of some regions of Iraq and Lebanon. In addition, earthquakes were recorded in Israel.
Turkish authorities have declared the highest level of alarm. "The highest level of alarm of the fourth degree has been declared in the country. Together with the Office of Emergency Situations, we sent rescuers to the regions", — said the country's Minister of Internal Affairs, Suleiman Soylu.
"It is very important that the roads in the area remain open, our search and rescue units from all the surrounding provinces have been deployed to the region. For this reason, we especially ask our citizens to refrain from traveling by car. Helping our search and rescue teams is an important issue, we ask our citizens to do their duty, stay away from damaged buildings and follow the instructions of officials.", — added representatives of the Turkish authorities.
