Turkey —- Strong Earthquake

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Very strong damaging earthquake in eastern Turkey – 200 prisoners escaped in Van

Last update: October 23, 2011 at 7:18 pm by By 

Image courtesy www.haberler.com – click on the picture for the photo gallery

Update: There have been 104 aftershocks over M2.7 so far. 22 aftershocks over M4. 4 aftershocks over M5.

Important Update 19:07 UTC: 87 deaths and 1000 injuries is the estimate at the moment. (Ercis = 60, Van = 25, other localities = 2). This is expected to rise substantially.

Update
– Van Prison : 200 inmates escapedapparently grabbing the opportunity of earthquake.
– According to the news from Agencies, 38 provinces have send 1275 search and rescue personnel.
– Kandilli Observatory ELER says taking into account the number of buildings that become uninhabitable = 3200-3400, severely damaged buildings = 600 and completely collapsed buildings =  50; 500-700 deaths is the approximate estimate. News from rural locations has not been collected but damage is estimated at around 60-70 percent.

Update 18:58 UTC:  The Turkish government is sending skilled SAR  personnel (Search and rescue) from the other provinces to Van. The Van airport is till operational what facilitates transport to the earthquake zone. On top of that much equipment like ambulances, tents, medical personnel, etc. Turkey is well organized to deal with earthquakes.

Update 18:21 UTC:  – The weather outlook tonight is mixed. It is not raining or snowing but thetemperatures will be at freezing point. As people will prefer to stay in the open air (to scared to go inside for eventual very strong aftershocks), they may have a night with almost no sleep.
– As the night has fallen in Turkey (it is now 21:21 in Turkey) limited news facts are coming through.
– The death toll is unchanged since many hours at 85 but will certainly increase within the next 4 to 24 hours. A lot of people are still buried under the debris of the collapsed houses.
– We cannot reach the server from the local Ercis newspaper anymore
– NATO stands ready to assist Turkey  if needed

Update:  Doctors from Ercis State Hospital reported that the number of the injured patients is close to 1000. Many patients are kept in the hospital’s parking lot and the garden in tents.

Update:  The Armenian President sent an message of condolences to the President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gül regarding the earthquake that occurred in the Van province. Armenia is located at a relatively short distance from the earthquake area and people in Armenia were very frightened by the shaking (see I have Felt It reports below).

Update: Germany has offered help to Turkey after an earthquake hit the eastern province of Van
The German Green Party called on the international community to provide fast and “unbureaucratic” support for rescue workers.

New casualty Update:   85 people are now reportedly killed during this earthquake (25 in Van and 60 in Ercis)

Update:   – A lot of people are leaving the cities and are heading for family in the rural areas. They fear the narrow streets with medium rise apartment buildings.
– Israel has offered to help Turkey with this disaster. It is unknown that Turkey has accepted this offer, as the 2 countries had a lot of differences in the recent past. In a later message Turkey declined the offered aid in saying that Turkey will deal with it internally.

for more information, videos, and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/23/very-strong-dangerous-earthquake-in-eastern-turkey/