CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/26/turkey.quake/index.html
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- An earthquake has struck an eastern Turkish village, killing at
least nine people -- mostly children -- and injuring about 44 others, according to officials.
The quake, with a magnitude of at least 5.1, struck the village on the outskirts of Erzurum around 11:30 p.m.
(2130 GMT) Thursday, according to the city's governor Mustafa Malay.
Video of the scene on CNN Turk showed bulldozers and workers digging through heaps of rubble.
The quake leveled a primary school in the region, killing at least one child underneath the wreckage, Malay said.
The Red Cross has sent aid workers to the area, Malay added.
The Public Works Ministry said Askale county was the epicenter of the quake. As many as 51 aftershocks shook
the region.
"The Red Crescent and military units are setting up tents for survivors... We will solve the accommodation
problem as soon as possible," Health Minister Recep Akdag told the Anatolian state news agency.
Turkey is criss-crossed with earthquake fault lines and poor construction of buildings has often led to an
unnecessarily high death toll.
In 1999, a quake with a magnitude of 7.4 killed about 20,000 people near Turkey's biggest city Istanbul.
And in May 2003, at least 167 people -- including many children -- were killed by a quake in the eastern province
of Bingol.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.5 magnitude quake struck about 35 kilometers (25 miles) west of
Erzurum at 7:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET).
According to the USGS, a quake measuring below 6.0 is considered moderate.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/05/02/turkey.quake/index.html
BINGOL, Turkey (CNN) -- Anxious parents were clinging to the slimmest of hopes that their
children might be found alive amid the rubble left by an earthquake that killed dozens of
people in southeastern Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish residents angry with the government's response to the powerful quake rioted in the
southeastern town of Bingol Friday.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit heavily Kurdish southeastern Turkey about 3:30 a.m. Thursday (8:30 p.m. EDT
Wednesday) and brought down at least 25 buildings in Bingol, including a boarding school.
Officials said 50 students and one other person, possibly a teacher, were confirmed dead at the Celtiksuyu
school.
Workers were still digging for survivors at the school late Friday despite not having heard sounds from the rubble
for several hours.
Forty students remained unaccounted for, officials said. Two teachers and 118 students have been brought out
alive.
The last person to be rescued was brought out remarkably unscathed, with only a few bumps and bruises, CNN's
Gaven Morris said.
"I just hope my son will be rescued alive," said Osman Karatas, whose 18-year-old son Ahmet attended the
school.
The school -- which housed 199 children ranging in age from 12 to 18 -- was reduced to rubble.
The bodies were pulled from the boys' dormitory, where the top two floors collapsed.
Many of the boys were killed in a hallway trying to rush out to safety as the building gave way. Others were killed
in their top bunks when the ceiling came crashing down, rescuers said.
The girls' dormitory was destroyed, and officials said they have not heard any sounds of children alive there. They
have not said how many girls were housed there.
As rescuers brought in heavy machinery to clear sections of the school where they were certain no one remained
alive, anger in the small, underdeveloped town built to a head and exploded.
People gathered Friday in the town center complaining that the government's response to the crisis had been too
slow and inadequate.
Police fired warning shots into the air as the crowd, hurling stones, stormed police headquarters.
More police spilled into the streets, firing more warning shots.
Witnesses said police also fired into the crowd, wounding at least two people.
An emergency vehicle drove through the crowd, sending most of the protesters fleeing.
As the crowd dispersed, the police withdrew from the city and the military moved in to provide security.
Bingol's police chief was fired as a result of his handling the demonstrations, government officials told CNN's
Morris.
At the school, crews used sophisticated listening devices to detect boys alive in the debris early Friday and
worked through the night to free them.
Journalist Gokhan Eren said he had seen at least seven boys pulled out alive between midnight and 3 a.m. Friday
(5-8 p.m. EDT Thursday).
"I see a mother sitting right on top of the rubble, just hitting herself and mourning," Eren told CNN.
"Meanwhile, rescue workers (are) suddenly rejoicing and bringing out a boy who's holding his hand up and
waving it around, as if he was just born."
Each time a boy was freed from the twisted heap of concrete, his name was announced to the crowd of relatives
gathered at the site.
Rescuers then called for silence so they could listen for the sounds of more voices and begin digging again.
Earthquakes are common in Turkey, which lies at the convergence of three major tectonic plates.
Thursday's earthquake occurred 43 miles southeast of the epicenter of a magnitude 6.1 earthquake that killed one
person and injured several others in January.
A magnitude 8.0 quake in 1939 killed an estimated 33,000 people about 75 miles northwest of Thursday's
epicenter.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/27/turkey.quake/index.html
ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake early Monday shook southeastern
Turkey. There were no initial reports of casualties.
Turkey's Kandilli Observatory & Earthquake Research Institute said the quake hit the Tunceli region at 7:26 a.m.
local time. Aftershocks of 3.0, 3.1 and 3.1 were recorded within 12 minutes of the initial 6.5 magnitude quake.
Local officials reported some damage to buildings.
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/earthquakestormsqa.shtml
Earthquake Storms - questions and answers
What causes an earthquake?
The crust of the Earth is broken into seven enormous 'tectonic' plates that stretch over
entire continents. These plates of solid rock are in constant motion. Where they meet is
known as a fault line. As these plates drag past or over each other, huge amounts of
stress can build up. When the stress is too great the rocks force apart like an expanding
spring.
Where are the most dangerous places for earthquakes?
Major fault lines cross the planet and it is there that major earthquakes take place. Two
of the most earthquake-prone faults are the San Andreas in California and the North
Anatolian which runs along the north of Turkey. These are both more than 1000km long.
Other areas of high earthquake activity are Japan, the Middle East and along the west
coast of South America. All lie on the boundaries of the Earth's continental plates.
What is the difference between an earthquake and earthquake storm?
An earthquake is a single isolated event in which the Earth's crust pulls apart due to the
build up of stress. The phrase earthquake storm was coined by Stanford Professor of
Geophysics, Amos Nur, and describes a series of earthquakes where one triggers another
and then another. The phenomenon is based on a scientific theory known as the stress
triggering model.
Scientists believe that on some faults, as an earthquake strikes, the stress released does
not simply disappear. Instead it must be redistributed to another region of the fault
which sets off another earthquake. This series of earthquakes is known as an earthquake
storm. Although still in its infancy the stress triggering model has identified possible
series of earthquakes in California, Japan and Turkey.
How much stress is needed to trigger an earthquake?
The amount of stress needed to trigger a following quake does not have to be great.
Studies of over 20 faults have convinced many scientists that earthquakes can be
triggered by as little as one eighth of the pressure required to inflate a car tyre.
Can earthquake storms only happen along fault lines?
The most well known earthquake storm track is along the North Anatolian fault in Turkey
where a series of earthquakes migrated along the fault in a westerly direction. There
have been other known examples where earthquakes have triggered other earthquakes
on different, nearby faults.
What is the difference between an aftershock and an earthquake storm?
All major earthquakes are followed by a series of aftershocks. These are smaller tremors
that follow a main event. A series of aftershocks following a large earthquake is not
considered to be a storm. An earthquake storm is when large independent earthquakes
are triggered over long distances and over long periods of time. However aftershocks
have helped scientists identify the mechanism which triggers an earthquake storm and
have given them a clearer understanding of how the transfer of stress along a fault takes
place.
How many people die a year in earthquakes?
There is no definitive figure for this but every year earthquakes can kill many thousands.
In 1999, the Izmit earthquake in Turkey killed over 25,000. In January 2001 the
Indian State of Gujarat was struck by a major earthquake killing over 30,000 people. The
single most catastrophic quake of recent times was the Tungshan earthquake in China in
1976 - an estimated 650,000 people were killed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2992311.stm
Why Turkey suffers earthquake misery
Earthquake safety was forced
firmly onto Turkey's political
agenda following the Izmit tremors
in 1999 which killed more than
17,000 people.
x
The latest earthquake - in which perhaps 150
died in the eastern province of Bingol - is
likely to lead to calls for further action.
"There is a very good building code
and good seismic zoning maps in
Turkey. But there is concern that the
system is not being followed," Dr
The rescue effort may be hampered by
aftershocks
Russ Evans from the British Geological Survey told BBC News Online.
Companies involved in larger construction projects in Turkey's cities
generally follow codes designed to make buildings safer.
But those who build two-and threestorey structures - such as the school
where dozens of children are thought
to be trapped - sometimes skimp on
materials.
BINGOL EARTHQUAKE
"There are accusations of bribery and
that kind of malpractice. People get a
statement to say a building has been
safely built when in fact it is not
true," added Dr Evans.
However, increasing awareness of
the risks from earthquakes is forcing
the Turkish building industry to
change.
Depth: 10km
When renting an apartment in
Magnitude: 6.4 MW
Istanbul, prospective tenants often
ask whether the building is protected Location: 38.99° North / 40.46°
against tremors.
East
But the misery of the people of
Source: British Geological Survey
Bingol is unlikely to end for months.
Aftershocks may compound the damage and hamper rescue work.
Fault zone
This is because further tremors are needed to release the stress built up in the fault.
The quake - estimated to have had a magnitude of 6.4 - is only the latest in a long line of
severe shocks to strike the region.
The geological fault involved is called the North Anatolian Fault. Since 1939 there have
now been at least 11 quakes over magnitude 6.7 along the 1000km length of the North
Anatolian Fault.
Seismologists believe there were no warning signs.
They can only assess probabilities, not make specific predictions as to the time and place of
the earthquake.
This means safe building practices are
essential in earthquake-prone areas.
Sometimes people ignore building codes
Many of the losses in earthquake regions arise from non-compliance with earthquake
building codes.
Severe damage can be caused by relatively small earthquakes.
Turkey sits between two huge tectonic plates, Eurasia and Africa/Arabia, which are
inexorably grinding into one another, north to south.
The Turkish landmass is a small tectonic plate which is being squeezed between the two
giants. It is moving westwards towards the Aegean Sea.
Moving plates
The periodic movements happen on two main faults, the North Anatolian Fault and the
East Anatolian Fault. These are both "strike/slip" faults in which tectonic plates slide past
each other horizontally.
The San Andreas fault in California is another well-known example.
The westward push of Turkey is being accommodated in the Aegean, which is shrinking as
one part of the sea-floor is being thrust under another.
These plate movements, ultimately caused by the slow moving hot rock in the Earth's
mantle.
When the rock's breaking point is eventually reached, it fractures on a fault and the two
sides grind past each other, causing an earthquake.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/422773.stm
The quakes that shook Turkey: Special report
Two devastating earthquakes hit Turkey within the space of less than three
months during 1999. The first - with its epicentre at Izmit in Turkey's heavily
populated northwest - struck at 0302 hours local time on 17 August. It left
some 17,000 people dead and thousands more homeless. The second struck just
100km away on 12 November, killing hundreds more. Below are the main
stories from BBC News Online's coverage at the time:
New crisis for quake victims
Turkey issues an international appeal for winter tents to shelter tens of thousands of people left homeless by
November's earthquake.
The Izmit quake - August 1999
Return to a shattered city
"In the shattered city, people salvage what they can, while they can. They're
surviving day to day " - Chris Morris revisits the scene one month after the quake.
Seismic suffering
Will Istanbul be next?
The latest devastating earthquake to rock Turkey has significantly
increased the risk of a large seismic strike near Istanbul, says an
expert on the region's geology.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/524411.stm
A 42-year-old woman has been rescued from the rubble of her home nearly five days after an
earthquake hit north-west Turkey. Sefa Cebeci was barely conscious after being trapped for 105 hours
under tonnes of concrete in freezing temperatures.
Turkish commercial television said Israeli rescue workers pulled her out from the debris of the sevenstorey building in the town of Duzce, the earthquake's epicentre, at 0330 local time (0130 GMT).
Her husband's dead body was dragged from the rubble moments earlier.
Mrs Cebeci has been taken to hospital in Istanbul where her condition is stable.
Doctors at the Cerrahpasa hospital are treating her for a broken arm and kidney failure due to
dehydration.
"Her right arm was totally crushed. We plan to amputate from the shoulder very soon," Dr Emre
Gorgun said.
Foreign rescuers pull out
Mrs Cebeci's rescue may revive the debate about how long people trapped after earthquakes can
survive.
Before she was found, several international relief teams said they were
giving up the search, fearing that any survivors would have died in the
freezing weather.
"It seems there are no chances of finding anybody alive, so we were asked
to leave. We think that is the right decision," the leader of a German team,
Gerd Friedsam, said on Tuesday.
But Antoine Crouan of the French Red Cross said: "It may be possible to
find people alive for as long as 10 days after the Turkey earthquake, as
happened with the disasters in Armenia and Colombia."
Foreign rescuers say there is little
chance of finding anyone else
alive
Click here to see a map of Turkey's tectonic plate movements
The region has suffered numerous aftershocks, including a tremor
measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale that rocked the city of Bolu on Tuesday
night.
No injuries were reported, although several damaged buildings collapsed.
The main quake hit Turkey on Friday, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale. It was the second to strike
the region in three months.
It killed at least 550 people and left another 3,300 injured, according to the latest official toll.
Homeless survivors are struggling to keep warm in the pouring rain and freezing weather.
The governor of Bolu province, where the devastation is concentrated, has said 80,000 survivors are
living on the streets without proper shelter.
Many of the homeless are in shock and doctors have been warning there is a high risk of hypothermia.
Unrest
As their plight continued, thousands of survivors in Bolu blocked the main route between the capital
Ankara and the commercial centre of Istanbul on Tuesday in protest at the lack of tents and what they
called official neglect.
Turkey's Anatolia news agency said the crowds dispersed after the local police chief urged them not to
block ambulances using the road. Police were posted across the city as night set in.
The Turkish authorities' handling of relief operations since Friday had been largely praised until now.
Their response was quicker and more efficient than in August when a more powerful earthquake killed
at least 17,000 people.
Meanwhile, an Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe summit of world leaders is due to
go ahead in Istanbul on Thursday despite fears the city could itself be hit by a major earthquake.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/429219.stm
August 1999
It is a week since Turkey was hit by the worst earthquake anywhere in the world for more than a
decade. I arrived in the country a few hours after disaster struck, and started travelling between the
various towns devastated in the tremor.
I find it hard to describe Adapazari, but on the long sweltering day I arrived there the impressions were
vivid enough.
It may not help much, but the best comparison I can think of is parts of wartime Sarajevo - a similar
and equally hideous architecture, cracking and peeling in the summer sun.
Buildings slumped down on their foundations, balconies concertinaed, walls lurching at insane angles.
Rubble, broken glass, suffering and perhaps a measure of resignation too.
In Sarajevo it took two years and the Bosnian Serb army to achieve this dismal effect.
In Adapazari, Golcuk, Izmit and parts of Istanbul it took an act of God just 45 seconds long. They say
that Turkey moved two metres closer to its arch rival Greece in the course of that truncated minute. It
is the kind of seismic diplomacy the people of this devastated region could well do without.
Hope over reason
In Adapazari's main square, a stern statue of modern Turkey's founder, Kamal Attaturk, looked down
on a sea of destruction.
Right across north-western Turkey squares and streets bearing his name now lie in ruins.
Over and over again, in the days immediately after the earthquake, the same drama played out. Was
someone there trapped alive under slabs of concrete, as desperate relatives insisted, or was this yet
another case of hope over reason?
Relief workers with exhausted sniffer dogs arrived to look for signs of a body. The dogs bark if they
smell the living or the dead. But there were no barks at the site where I watched and soon the crowd
started to melt away.
When the search for survivors ends, the bulldozers move in. What the earthquake started, men and
machines must finish.
Across the city 11 people were pulled out alive that morning - 11 miracles to set aside the heartnumbing parade of the dead. It was such a rare event that I only ever managed to see one on
television.
It was a young boy, bewildered but astonishingly not hurt. Onlookers applauded as he was carried out
over the ruins of his home to a waiting ambulance. A little round of applause amid the incessant din of
jack-hammers, sirens and howls of grief.
After rows of corpses wrapped in blankets, it was the sight of a survivor that finally brought tears to my
eyes.
Desperate
In Golcuk they rescued a baby just two weeks old. I thought back to February when my own son,
William, premature and fragile, entered our lives for the first time. Even wrapped up in his mother
arms, his existence seemed astonishing enough. Neglecting him for more than a minute would have
been unthinkable. But the baby in Golcuk lay under the rubble, his dead mother beside him, for 15
hours.
When I went to Golcuk, it was somehow was worse than Adapazari: not in
terms of the level of destruction which was by now wretchedly familiar, but
the mood which was ugly and desperate.
By then, more than 72 hours had passed, about as long they say as
someone can expect to survive in such conditions.
The dawning realisation that hope was fading fast added a new dimension
to Golcuk's misery. Nor, it seemed, were the authorities doing much to
improve matters.
Written off: Reconstuction is still a
far-off dream
The army, so much in evidence the day before in Adapazari, was entirely
absent.
Forlorn
All along the main road a solid logjam of vehicles crawled and cursed its way in both directions amid
clouds of dust and petrol fumes. The job of keeping lanes open for the rescue services had been
entrusted to angry young vigilantes who wielded sticks and in some cases guns.
Nearby the sea had invaded - a tidal surge sweeping away a seaside park in the minutes that followed
the earthquake.
The town is proud of its sculpture garden. But now the only work of art left standing was a trio of
elongated female figures, carved from driftwood, marooned by the encroaching water, looking forlornly
out over the Sea of Marmara.
Across the bay flames and smoke still belched from Turkey's largest oil refinery - a poisonous mix of
oil and sewage slopped noisily over the redefined shoreline. The town was bracing itself for disease.
My guidebook says this entire region, industrial and heavily populated, is "best written off" - and that in
the early hours of last Tuesday morning is precisely what happened.