The southeast of Turkey was shaken in the early hours of Monday by a strong earthquake, of magnitude 7.4, which could be felt in many cities, local authorities reported.
The epicenter of the quake, which lasted for about 30 seconds at around 4:17 a.m. local time, was the region of kahramanmarasabout 600 kilometers southeast of Ankara, at a depth of seven kilometers, specified the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
In the first live images of the Turkish news channels, collapsed buildings were seen, although for the moment no number of victims has been reported.
Minutes later another earthquake was registered, with a magnitude of 6.4 degrees, as confirmed by the Minister of the Interior, Suleyman Soylu, on Twitter.
Yildirim Kurt, a farmer based near Kahramanmaras, explained to EFE by phone that the people in the area “are in a panic.”
We woke up to a strong earthquake. Our house did not collapse but everything inside the house has fallen to the ground.
“Our neighbors’ house has collapsed. We have a problem with communications. We are all outside, in the open air. I was able to speak with relatives in nearby towns. They say that many buildings have collapsed there,” Kurt said.
According to the public broadcaster TRT World, the earthquakes could also be felt in neighboring countries, such as Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Georgia. EFE
Reference-aristeguinoticias.com
