Deadly 7.8 Turkey earthquake reminds the world of 1999 tremor

By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 6, 2023, 1:25 PM IST

Turkey earthquake: A devastating earthquake that struck Turkey in 1999, killed over 17,000 people and destroyed 500,000 homes. A total of 365,000 buildings were damaged in the 1999 earthquake and more than 112,000 of them either collapsed or became uninhabitable due to heavy damage.

An earthquake of a magnitude of 7.8 was reported to have hit Turkey, and was followed by another substantial tremor felt in several nearby regions. According to the US Geological Survey, it was about 33 kilometres (20 miles) from Gaziantep and about 26 kilometres (16 miles) from the town of Nurdagi. The epicentre was located at a depth of 18 kilometres by the United States Geological Survey.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management organisation was headquartered in Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province. Information on casualties and property loss from this devastating earthquake is still rising.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

Also Read | 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria, over 100 killed

However, Turkey was struck by an earthquake just 23 years prior that claimed 17,000 lives and destroyed over 500,000 homes. On August 17, 1999, a catastrophic earthquake occurred close to Izmit, Turkey. The earthquake has also gone by the names Kocaeli and Gölcük.

The earthquake, which occurred just after 3 a.m. local time, was centred on the northernmost strand of the North Anatolian fault system. The epicentre was located roughly 11 kilometres (7 miles) to the southeast of Izmit. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck first and lasted for less than a minute. Two light aftershocks occurred on August 19 around 50 miles (80 km) west of the first epicentre.

Around 17,000 people were killed and an estimated 500,000 more were displaced as a result of the thousands of buildings that collapsed or were seriously damaged, including the Turkish naval headquarters at Gölcük and the Tüpraş oil refinery in Izmit. According to reports from Gölcük, Derince, Darca, and Sakarya (Adapazar), there were several casualties. Further to the west, in Istanbul, hundreds of lives were lost and many structures were damaged.

Also Read | Quetta blast: 5 injured in TTP-orchestrated explosion; Babar vs Sarfaraz PSL exhibition match halted briefly

The Turkish Red Crescent and Turkish military took the lead in the rescue and relief effort, with aid from a number of foreign charitable organisations. Since residential building collapses accounted for the majority of fatalities, there was a great deal of public resentment aimed towards private contractors, who were accused of using subpar materials and poor workmanship.

Although several contractors were accused of crimes, only few of them were really proven to be guilty. Additionally, officials who did not properly enforce building regulations to guarantee earthquake-proof construction came under heavy fire.

Also Read | British Sikh intruder, who wanted to 'kill' late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, admits treason

For more reliable and latest news