Massive Earthquake Hits Turkey, Sends Tremors to Syria and Lebanon
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6 February 2023 20:34 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits the city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey on Monday, February 6, 2023, toppling buildings and sending residents off to the snowy streets, according to eyewitnesses and television reports. The massive quake sends tremors as far as Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria.
German Research Center for Geoscience (GFZ) stated that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) near the city of Kahramanmaras, South Turkey, while EMSC surveillance service reported that possibilities of a tsunami are being evaluated.
The vibration occurred for around one minute and breaks glass off of buildings, according to a witness as reported by Reuters in Diyarbakir, 350 kilometers east of Kahramanmaras.
Reporters from TRT and Haberturk showed pictures of people gathering around damaged buildings in Kahramanmaras, looking for survivors.
Salih Ayhan, governor of the Sanliurfa province tweeted that "the earthquake had destroyed buildings" and urged people to move to safer locations.
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced that an earthquake a 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred near the city of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border.
The Syrian government media reported that a large number of buildings collapsed, meanwhile a civil servant in Hama said that several buildings were destroyed in the city.
"Paintings fell off house walls," said Samer, a citizen of Damascus, the capital of Syria. "I woke up in fear. Now we are all dressed and standing in front of the door," he added.
People in Damascus, and in Beurit, and Tripoli in Lebanon ran to the streets or drove their cars to keep away from buildings.
The Head of the Turkish Red Cross stated that the organization is mobilizing its resources in the area after receiving information about serious damages and collapsed buildings, and urged people to evacuate damaged houses.
REUTERS
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