Shallow Earthquake Jolts Northwest Turkey, 50 Injured After Panic Caused Chaos

Istanbul: At least 50 people were injured after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northwest Turkey on early Wednesday. The shallow tremor struck near the town of Duzce about 210 km east of Istanbul. 

The quake hit a depth of 2 km to 10 km. The epicentre was in Duzce province's Golyaka district. According to the National authorities the quake was at a magnitude of 5.9,  lower than the 6.1 given by the US Geological Survey. 

“We almost completed our checks in the villages around Golyaka. There is no severe damage reported; only some barns were wrecked in these places … There was a power cut during the quake but authorities are reinstating power now,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told local media after visiting the quake-hit Golyaka. 

The interior minister said most of the injuries were sustained as people panicked after the quake. The authorities have recorded 101 aftershocks following the quake. Some people jumped from balconies or windows. He said one of the injured was in a serious condition. 

Düzce’den ilk görüntüler… Deprem tatbikatı bir işe yaradı mı? Mesaj geldi mi? Çöküp saklandınız mı? Uyarı bu herkes biliyor tehlikeyi ama Hazır değiliz… #deprem #duzce #sondakika pic.twitter.com/0kLiKg65FR

— Who? (@who98408150) November 23, 2022

It may be noted here Duzce was one of the worst hit regions in 1999 when a 7.4-magnitude earthquake toppled several buildings in the area. The national estimates put the quake-related death toll at 17,000 including about 1,000 casualties in Istanbul. 

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