Over 17,600 dead in powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye
Images | twitter/@anadoluajansi
At least 17,674 people were killed and 72,879 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Thursday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, were felt Monday by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa, Anadolu Agency reports.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.
More than 120,344 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
A total of 30,360 people were evacuated from quake-hit regions, AFAD said in a statement.
Speaking in Kilis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that a total of 6,444 buildings had collapsed in the quake zone.
Last Monday, we were confronted with the worst earthquake this region has ever seen in its history," he added.
Vice President Oktay said while speaking in parliament that "the earthquake affected an area of approximately 110,000 square kilometers (about 42,471 square miles). This is equal to or greater than the area of many countries in Europe.
This earthquake is the third-largest to occur since the 1668 Great Anatolia earthquake and the 1939 Erzincan earthquake in the last 2,000 years on the Anatolian geography."
Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop called on lawmakers Thursday to make donations worth at least one month's wage to the country's disaster management agency, adding he had donated three monthly wages.
During a visit to southern Gaziantep province, Erdogan said:"Our state has been in the field with all its institutions starting from the moment of the earthquake."
Foreign teams in field
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said 95 countries and 16 international organizations offered to send Türkiye assistance, with many nations sending search and rescue teams, doctors, field hospitals and aid materials to the quake-hit region.
Speaking in the capital Ankara, Cavusoglu said 6,479 personnel from 56 countries were currently in the field.
Teams from 19 more countries will be in our country within 24 hours,"he added at the news conference alongside Tahsin Ertugruloglu, his counterpart from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Ertugruloglu said every Turkish Cypriot's heart beats with Türkiye.
Besides rescue teams, blankets, tents, food and psychological support teams were also sent to affected areas.
A total of 97,973 family tents have been set up to shelter survivors, AFAD said.
It added that 10,363 vehicles including excavators, tractors and bulldozers were sent to the disaster area.
Teams in Sanliurfa and Kilis completed their search operations and have been dispatched to other provinces, AFAD said.
State of emergency declared
Erdogan on Wednesday inspected the ongoing search and rescue as well as relief efforts in the Adana, Hatay and Kahramanmaras provinces as well as one of the epicenters, Pazarcik, where he met survivors in tent cities.
First lady Emine Erdogan on Wednesday visited 16 infant survivors who were airlifted from Kahramanmaras to a hospital in Ankara.
Türkiye has mobilized all its resources for post-quake efforts, President Erdogan said, adding:"The state is working with municipalities, especially with AFAD, with all its resources."
A three-month state of emergency to speed up rescue and aid efforts in Türkiye's quake-hit provinces entered into force Thursday.
In addition, Türkiye is observing seven days of national mourning after the devastating quakes.
All national sports events in the country have been suspended until further notice and schools nationwide will be closed until Feb. 20.
After the quakes, condolences poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.
Türkiye sets up air corridor
After the initial earthquake, an air aid corridor was created by the Turkish Armed Forces to deliver search and rescue teams to the region.
A large number of aircraft for transport, including A-400Ms, carried search and rescue teams and vehicles to the region. Ambulance planes are also using the air aid corridor.
Nearly 19,000 Turkish soldiers also rushed to the aid of people in the field, the National Defense Ministry said in a statement.
All barracks, including the 2nd Army Command in Malatya, were opened to the service of citizens affected by the earthquakes.
Rescue and relief personnel and materials were dispatched to the region with 160 aircraft, AFAD said.
National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday that the Turkish Armed Forces have mobilized all aircraft.
Within this framework, we dispatch personnel and equipment to the earthquake zone with more than 500 aircraft sorties,"Akar said.
In addition, the flights of two Akinci drones are being used to coordinate work in disaster areas.
A total of 22 ships were also assigned to the region for personnel and material shipment and for evacuation.
Source: kazinform
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Number of dead seals along Caspian coast rises to 850
Images | Depositphotos
Another 115 carcasses of dead seals have been gathered on the Caspian Sea coast and delivered from the Aktau recreation area to the Kuryk Port, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Thus, the number of dead seals has already reached 850.
According to Andrey Rutskoy, acting chief of Mangistau region’s fishery inspection department, a working group consisting of inspectors, ecologists, local officials and representatives of public associations, is examining the beach. "Rocky beaches are hard to reach. The working group will go there on foot," he said.
He added that collecting samples from the last seals found is impossible, as the carcasses decomposed at the 3rd and 4th stages. The results of the samples taken at the end of October are not ready yet.
Recall that from October 24 to 28, 289 carcasses of dead seals were discovered by the employees of the Zhaiyk-Caspian Interregional Basin Fisheries Inspectorate together with the representatives of the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. Over half of the dead female seals were pregnant, Assel Baimukanova, an operator at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, said.
In 2020, the Caspian seal was included in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of Endangered Species.
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Large boulder kills three people in Uzbekistan
Images | the road safety service of the Republic of Uzbekistan
A massive boulder fell from a mountain in southern Uzbekistan and smashed a passing Chevrolet Cobalt vehicle, killing three people inside, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the road safety service, the incident took place at the Takhtakaracha pass in Kashkadarya region on November 6.
Due to the incident that occurred at the 1138th km of the M-39 Tashkent-Termez highway at Takhtakaracha pass in the Kitob district of the Kashkadarya province and links Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, traffic was temporarily halted," the road safety service stated.
Recall that a total 19,302 road accidents, affecting more than 26,703 individuals have been recorded in Kazakhstan over the course of nine months in 2024.
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Earthquake hits Almaty
The citizens of Almaty felt an earthquake today, at around 10:00 am, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the national seismological center, the quake’s preliminary magnitude was 4.5, local emergencies authorities said.
The epicenter of the quake was 33 kilometers east of Almaty, in the territory of Kazakhstan. The coordinates of the epicenter are 43.261 north latitude, and 77.310 east longitude.
The earthquake was felt in the following settlements: Almaty - 3 points, Talgar - 4 points, Yessik - 4 points, Turgen village - 3 points, Otegen Batyr village - 3 points, Boralday village - 2 points, Malovodnoye village - 2 points, Kaiypov village - 2 points, Alatau (Zhetigen) - 2 points, and Karassai (Kaskelen) - 2 points.
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Wildfires in Pavlodar region extinguished, localized in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished, Kazinform News Agency learned from the ministry of emergencies.
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished. The area of the fire is being determined," a statement from the ministry reads.
As reported, on October 6, a steppe fire broke out in Karaganda region, which then spread to the territory of Pavlodar region. The fire covered an area of 3,000 hectares. At 02:20 the fire, which had already spread to an area of 10,000 hectares in the Bayanaul district of Pavlodar region, was localized.
18 residents of Zheltau village in Pavlodar region, including eight children, were evacuated to a safe area.
The wildfire in Karaganda region was localized. The area of the fire is being determined.
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, Khali Khairat, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized.
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One firefighter died, four injured in steppe fire in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized, Kazinform News Agency learned from the local emergencies department.
Khali Khairat has served in the civil protection authorities since May 12, 2014. Governor of the region Yermaganbet Bulekpayev and Mayor of Saran Yerkin Baulikov visited his family and expressed their condolences. Local officials provided necessary assistance in the organization of the funeral.
The regional healthcare department revealed the condition of the four injured firefighters. All of them were taken to the Karkaraly Central Hospital, after which they were transported to the Makazhanov Multifunctional Clinic. Their condition is stable, health authorities said.
On October 6, a steppe fire broke out in the Karkaraly district of Karaganda region. To extinguish the fire, all services of the Ministry of Emergencies were involved, including 111 emergency response officers, law enforcement agencies, 27 units of various vehicles and equipment, and a fire extinguishing operations center was deployed. The governor of the region held a meeting with the operational headquarters at the scene of the incident.
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Passenger bus falls off bridge on a minivan in Almaty region
Images | gov.kz
A passenger bus crashed through the guardrails on a bridge and fell on a minibus in Kaskelen, Almaty region, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The video capturing the crash was shared on social media. A criminal case was initiated.
The Yutong Bus driver reportedly lost control turning on the bride, crashed through the guardrails, and plunged on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter minivan. No casualties were reported. The critically injured bus driver was rushed to the intensive care unit, the police department said in a statement.
The bus driver tested negative for alcohol.
For the past four years, nearly 1,000 road accidents involving public transport occurred in Almaty.
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