Latest update 11/12/99 10:30PM CST
A N K A R A, Turkey, Nov. 12 — In the dead of the Turkish night,
trapped survivors moaned and cried out from beneath the rubble of hundreds of
buildings that collapsed when a massive earthquake rocked northwestern Turkey.
More than 120 people were killed and another 1,000 injured.
Large 7.4 Earthquake Hits Turkey, At
Least 34 Dead 725 Injured...11/12/99
A N K A R A, Turkey,
Nov. 12 — A massive earthquake with an estimated
magnitude of 7.4 struck Turkey today, with at least 34 deaths and 725 injuries
reported.
Cries for help were heard echoing through the town
of Duzce, near the epicenter, where hundreds of buildings collapsed and many
were feared trapped in the rubble. Explosions and heavy damage to the region’s
infrastructure were also reported.
The quake struck a region already devastated by a massive
quake three months ago that left 17,000 dead, 50,000 injured and severely damaged
buildings and infrastructure.
“We are facing a new disaster. It is a destructive
earthquake and I hope we will not face a great loss,” Turkish President Suleyman
Demirel told reporters in Ankara, the capital.
“There is utter helplessness here at the moment,” an
NTV correspondent in Duzce said. “Hundreds of buildings have collapsed but there
is no one who can help.” Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said emergency relief
teams had been rushed to the northwestern province of Bolu. Ecevit’s government
came under fire after the Aug. 17 quake for what many Turks saw as a slow and
inadequate response.
“The aftershocks are still continuing but their strength
is now around 4 on the Richter scale,” he said today. “God protects us.”
Clinton
to Visit Turkey
President Clinton is
scheduled to visit the region on Sunday. There was no word how, if at all, the
quake would affect the meeting, but officials in Washington and Turkey did not
think the quake would postpone the trip.
The 7.4-magnitude quake was centered near Duzce, about
115 miles east of Istanbul, the National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colo.,
reported. Turkish seismologists reported a 7.2 magnitude.
“According to what we have learned from police transistors,
a great number of buildings have collapsed in Duzce. There are dead, and people
are asking for help,” Ankara Governor Yahya Gur was quoted as saying by Anatolian
news agency. The quake comes one day after another temblor killed one person
and hurt more than 170. The current quake was produced by the same fault that
caused this summer’s tragedy.
No More
Room in Hospitals
In Duzce, so many people were injured by today’s temblor that casualties had
to be treated in the garden of the hospital, Turkey’s NTV reported.
In nearby Bolu, the quake set off explosions in some
buildings, triggering fires, said the town’s police chief, Ugur Gur. He said
the road to Istanbul was severed by the quake and called for urgent medical
aid from Ankara, some 160 miles to the east.
The prime minister said communications with the affected
region were difficult to establish. Telephone lines were jammed, either by damage
or by relatives calling family and friends. Ecevit said rescue and medical teams
had been dispatched to the area.
The quake, which struck at 6:57 p.m., was followed
by at least three aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5, said Ahmet Mete
Isikara, head of Istanbul’s Kandilli Observatory.
Buildings in Istanbul, 115 miles to the east, and Ankara,
105 miles to the southwest, shook as though they were made of rubber.
Shaky
Ground
The hilly Bolu region lies on the fringes of the area devastated by the Aug.
17 earthquake.
The region has been rocked by hundreds of aftershocks
from the August earthquake, many of them quakes in their own right, but Isikara
said today’s tremor was not one of those aftershocks.
Turkey is preparing to play host to delegations from
54 countries for a Nov. 18-19 summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe. Turkish officials said the summit would still take place.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Violent Earth
L O N D O N, Nov. 12 — The
powerful earthquake that rocked Turkey’s northwest today was the latest
to hit Turkey since a massive tremor in August that killed more than 17,000
people. Here is a short list of the recent quakes and shocks there.
Nov. 12 — A strong earthquake tears through Turkey’s northwest
region, destroying hundreds of buildings in the town of Duzce and causing
many deaths.
Nov. 11 — A moderate earthquake shakes Istanbul. The tremor
lasted for about 15 seconds. One man died and 88 people injured as they
jumped from windows and balconies.
Nov. 7 — Two moderate tremors strike the northwest of Turkey.
The epicenter of the tremors, measuring 5.0 and 4.3 on the Richter scale,
was in the town of Hendek.
Oct. 5 — A moderate earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter
scale strikes the southwestern coast of Turkey and is centred near the popular
tourist resort of Marmaris. More than 100 people were injured.
Sept. 29 — A quake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale strikes.
It is centred on the seaside town of Yalova, across the Marmara Sea from
Istanbul.
Sept. 13 — A powerful aftershock hits northwest Turkey. The
quake registers 5.8 and has its epicenter in Izmit, 55 miles east of Istanbul.
Aug. 17 — A violent earthquake measuring 7.4 strikes the
western Turkish city of Izmit, Istanbul, killing at least 17,118 people.
— Reuters |
