Earthquake hits eastern Turkey

[ngoshwe]

5.7-magnitude earthquake kills at least 3 near eastern city of Van, two weeks after another quake killed hundreds.

At least 50 people were thought to be staying in a hotel destroyed by Wednesday's quake [EPA] A preliminary 5.7-magnitude earthquake has caused a six-story hotel and seven other buildings to collapse in eastern Turkey, trapping people inside. There have been at least three deaths and 100 injured in Wednesday evening's quake according to state television reports. Two hotels have been brought down along with some buildings that had been damaged in the October 23 earthquake in the province of Van, which was hit over two weeks ago by a 7.2 earthquake that killed around 600 people. TV footage showed residents and rescuers trying to lift debris to evacuate people. More than 50 people are believed to be trapped under the hotel in the provincial capital of Van.So far 16 people have been rescued from the two collapsed hotels. The hotel was being used by journalists and aid workers who were in the city. It was not known how many people were trapped inside. Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reported from Istanbul that there were suspected fatalities among people believed to have been in the hotel. The rescue teams have mobilised more rapidly, she reported, than in the quake two weeks ago. "They have the equipment and forces they need on hand," she said. There had been another quake of similar magnitude earlier in the day on Wednesday. At least 11 people were brought out of the building alive, NTV television said. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 5.7. Turkey's Kandilli Observatory said it struck at 9:23pm local time (1923 GMT). NTV television said rescue teams were being sent to the region from the capital Ankara and other areas, a week after workers had begun clearing debris from the earlier quake. Panicked people could be seen running through the streets and ambulances rushed through the town with their sirens wailing. "It would be premature to say if it is an aftershock or an earthquake," Mustafa Erdik, director of the Kandilli Observatory, told NTV. About 1,400 aftershocks have rocked the region since the 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the province on Oct. 23. Many residents had been living in tents, despite the cold, too afraid to return to their homes. Sahin Tokay, a restaurant owner in Van told Al Jazeera that he still feared for the safety of his home following the October 23 earthquake. Tokay said every day since last month's earthquake his family had been trying to get a tent from the government. Tokay, who was in his home with his family at the time of Wednesday's quake said "we don't think anyone will help us tonight, so we will stay on the street tonight." At least 2,000 buildings were destroyed in the stronger temblor and authorities declared another 3,700 buildings unfit for habitation. Earthquake hits eastern Turkey - Europe - Al Jazeera English

 

[Globu]

M/MUNGU atawapa subira.

 

[Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu]

Hii ni sasa mara ya pili inatokea hapo mjini VAN inaleta Woga mitihani yake Mwenyeezi Mungu hiyoo.....

Turkey: quake kills at least 5, dozens trapped

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• Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Van, eastern …
• Rescuers pull out a man alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Van, eastern …

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  Second earthquake rocks Turkey
  
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A deputy prime minister says rescue workers have pulled out 20 survivors from the rubble of three buildings, collapsed by an earthquake in eastern Turkey. He says at least five were killed and dozens of others trapped.
Besir Atalay says Wednesday's quake toppled 25 buildings in the city of Van but only three of them were occupied since the others have been evacuated after suffering damages in last month's powerful temblor.

Atalay said Thursday that the rescue work is now concentrating at the site of two collapsed hotels and one apartment building. He says 20 survivors were pulled out along with the bodies of five people.
The magnitude-5.7 quake was a grim replay of the previous magnitude-7.2 earthquake that hit Oct. 23, killing more than 600 people.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Wednesday night, killing at least three people and leaving dozens trapped in the rubble of toppled buildings damaged in a previous temblor, which had killed 600 people.

About two-dozen buildings collapsed in the provincial capital of Van following a 5.7-magnitude quake, though most of them were empty or had been declared unfit because they were weakened by the earlier quake, according to media reports.

In a grim replay of scenes from last month's quake in the same region, men climbed onto piles of debris and frantically clawed at twisted steel and crumbled concrete in an attempt to find survivors.
Voices could be heard calling for help from under the debris, according to Turkish media.

Rescue workers used the glare of high-powered lights to work through the night. There were several aftershocks.
A small fire broke out at a hospital but all patients were safely evacuated.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was in Van to visit survivors of the previous quake on the last day of the Muslim holiday of Eid

al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice. He said 15 people were rescued alive and transported to hospitals by air ambulance.
Davutoglu said rescue teams were searching for survivors under the wreckage of three buildings, and that 22 of the 25 buildings that collapsed in Van were empty.

One of the buildings that collapsed was the Bayram Hotel, Van's best-known hotel. It was at least 40 years old, and had been renovated last year. Some of the guests were journalists who were covering the aftermath of the 7.2-magnitude quake on Oct. 23, which left thousands homeless and led a number of countries to send tents, blankets and other supplies to assist Turkey in the aid effort.
Turkey's Dogan news agency said two of its reporters were missing.

Ozgur Gunes, a cameraman for Turkey's Cihan news agency, told Haber Turk television that some trapped journalists had sent text messages to colleagues asking to be rescued.

He had left the hotel before the quake, but rushed back to collect his camera after it struck, only to find that the building toppled.
"There was dust everywhere and the hotel was flattened," he said. He told Sky Turk television that the building had some small cracks before the quake, but that he and other guests were told that there was no structural damage.

State-run TRT television said at least three bodies were recovered and, citing a hotel worker, reported that 35-40 people were believed to be trapped in the rubble of the Bayram Hotel. Another report said fewer than half that number were trapped.

Hotel owner Aslan Bayram told NTV television that the hotel had 27 guests, about half of whom were inside when the quake hit. But he said he did not know how many customers may have been in a shop selling desserts at the entrance of the building.
Mustafa Bilici, a ruling party lawmaker, said one person died after throwing himself out of a building in panic.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said the quake toppled a hotel, a school and a number of mudbrick homes. He said rescue teams are being sent to the region from the capital, Ankara, and other areas. Workers have been clearing debris from the previous disaster for more than a week.
Schools in the region are closed until Dec. 5.
The Turkish Red Crescent immediately dispatched 15,000 tents and some 300 rescue workers, TRT said. There was no damage in the town of Edremit, the quake's epicenter.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 5.7 and that its epicenter was 16 kilometers (9 miles) south of Van. It struck at 9:23 p.m. (1923 GMT, 2:23 p.m. EST).
About 1,400 aftershocks have rocked the region since the massive earthquake on Oct. 23, which killed 600 and left thousands homeless. Many residents had been living in tents, despite the cold, too afraid to return to their homes. At least 2,000 buildings were destroyed in the stronger temblor and authorities declared another 3,700 buildings unfit for living.

Source: Turkey: quake kills at least 5, dozens trapped - Yahoo! News

 

[MaxShimba]

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