7.2 Earthquake hits Turkey thousands feared dead

[i just got lucky]

http://www.usatoday.com/n...ey-earthquake/50880238/1
http://www.cnn.com/2011/1...ey-earthquake/?hpt=wo_c2

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Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey was struck by its most powerful earthquake in at least a decade Sunday, as a major tremor and at least seven aftershocks rattled the poor east of the country.

Some 25 apartment buildings and a student dormitory collapsed in the town of Ercis on the north shore of Lake Van, the Turkish Red Crescent said.

Local rescuers took many wounded people out of the dormitory, the Red Crescent statement said, without saying exactly how many.

They called for rescue workers, heavy machinery and drinking water, and set up a crisis desk in the capital Ankara.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said 10 buildings had collapsed in the center of the city of Van, citing local authorities.

Health Minister Recep Akdag said an air ambulance and several helicopters would go to the quake zone.

Television pictures from Van Province showed rescuers and members of the public climbing over massive piles of cinderblocks that had been a building before the earthquake hit.

Ambulances and bulldozers were on the scene.

A seven-story building collapsed on Kazim Karabekir Street in the city of Van, and more buildings were reduced to rubble the village of Tabanli in Van Province, the Anatolian news agency said. It was unknown how many people were trapped.

Video from CNN Turk showed the inside of shaking buildings, and people gathering outside on the streets.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly to the area Sunday afternoon, his office said.

Israel offered Turkey "any help if may require" after the earthquake, Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office said. Israel and Turkey, once close allies, saw a deterioration in relations in a dispute over an Israeli naval commando raid on the Gaza-bound ship Mavi Marmara, in which nine Turkish activists were killed.

Turkey is "no stranger to having these seismic events," but Sunday's quake is considered major, CNN Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the quake had a magnitude of 7.3, then revised it down to 7.2.

The last quake of that magnitude in Turkey -- a 7.2 tremor in Duzce in 1999 -- killed 894 people, the USGS reported. A 7.6 earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, killed more than 17,000 people the same year, according to the USGS.

Sunday's major quake hit at 1:41 p.m. local time and was followed by at least seven aftershocks, American and Turkish monitoring agencies reported.

It took place about 12 miles from Van, the USGS said.

An official Turkish monitoring office reported aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 2.6 to 5.8, all within an hour of the first quake.

The USGS reported a depth of 4.5 miles, or 7.2 kilometers; the center in Turkey said the quake was about 3 miles, or 5 kilometers, deep.

One concern is displacement of water along Lake Van, which could send water gushing into nearby areas, particularly along the west side, Wolf reported.

 

[sreggie101]

one of these days these strong earthquakes is gonna hit cali....

end well, that state will not. really would like to know the cause of increase seismic activity in recent years

 

[feedtheego1982]

I think earthquakes are a common phenomenon. Our instan access to news make it seem as though they happen more now. They probably have always occurred like this, we just didn't have access to the news, or we probably aren't even old enough to pay attention to it. I hope not too many people got hurt or killed.

 

[solecity]

Earthquakes are happening all the time everyday, the problem is that most are not serious nor felt then some are and those are really powerful with the high numbers

 

[big j 33]

Damn shame, hopefully the number injured or dead stays as low as possible.

 

[solegit08til]

Originally Posted by FeedTheEgo1982

I think earthquakes are a common phenomenon. Our instant access to news make it seem as though they happen more now. They probably have always occurred like this, we just didn't have access to the news, or we probably aren't even old enough to pay attention to it. I hope not too many people got hurt or killed.

This. It bugs me when people say that more severe stuff has been happening lately and try to connect the dots. This stuff has been happening since earth was formed. Theres no way to predict a majority of it. Weather patterns are about as useful as a sports teams W/L record. Much love to my peoples in Istanbul

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

damn...r.i.p. to those that fell

 

[jerome in the house]

 

[stay lurkin]

^^ Not to be insensitive or downplay peoples lives but I have always thought the same thing

 

[ins]

Imagine if a fault just kept slipping and a caused a huge hole in the land.

 

[red is on nt]

 

[nt brah]

7.0 Magnitude in Haiti - 300,000 victims.

7.2 Magnitude in Turkey - 1,000 victims.

 

[i just got lucky]

Originally Posted by NT Brah

7.0 Magnitude in Haiti - 300,000 victims.

7.2 Magnitude in Turkey - 1,000 victims.

Japan 8.9 magnitude @20k+

 

[sillyputty]

Originally Posted by FeedTheEgo1982

I think earthquakes are a common phenomenon. Our instan access to news make it seem as though they happen more now. They probably have always occurred like this, we just didn't have access to the news, or we probably aren't even old enough to pay attention to it. I hope not too many people got hurt or killed.

This x 1000.
Earthquakes happen LITERALLY EVERY DAY. 

i just got lucky wrote:

---

NT Brah wrote:

---

7.0 Magnitude in Haiti - 300,000 victims.

7.2 Magnitude in Turkey - 1,000 victims.

Japan 8.9 magnitude @20k+
Thats because the buildings and infrastructure in Haiti SUCKS.

Most of the reason we live through a bunch of natural disasters in the modern developed world is due to our technological advancements in warning systems and building advancements. 

Engineering matters. 

 

[abovelegit1]

Tragic loss of life. 500-1000 feared dead according to most source. My thoughts are with the good people of Turkey.


The frequency of how often earthquakes occur is irrelevant; a tragedy is a tragedy.

 

[benssick]

Originally Posted by FeedTheEgo1982

I think earthquakes are a common phenomenon. Our instan access to news make it seem as though they happen more now. They probably have always occurred like this, we just didn't have access to the news, or we probably aren't even old enough to pay attention to it. I hope not too many people got hurt or killed.