Strong earthquake shakes Turkey Quake measures 7.1 on the Richter scale; apartment buildings collapse

Associated Press ISTANBUL, Turkey, Aug. 17  A powerful earthquake shook western Turkey's most populated cities early Tuesday, killing at least 100 people and injuring scores as it collapsed homes and buildings, according to broadcast reports. THE EARTHQUAKE had a preliminary magnitude at 7.1, according to the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo, which had earlier reported 7.3. Turkish radio reported a 6.8-magnitude quake. The reason for the discrepancy wasn't immediately clear.

Reports said some tall buildings collapsed in Istanbul, and there were people trapped in the debris and begging for help. "We saw the floor move, we all ran out of the house," said Ramazan Aydeniz, sitting in front of his ice-cream shop in Istanbul. "The kids, the elder were all in a panic."

The quake epicenter was near Izmit, 65 miles east of Istanbul, according to privately-owned TGRT radio. The station said some bridges, homes and buildings had collapsed in the city. In Izmit, residents said rescuers were trying to reach people trapped in the ruins of a collapsed apartment block.

Also in Izmit, a fire broke out at the major oil refinery owned by Tupras. Eyewitnesses reported casualties being brought to a hospital in Izmit. "It was very powerful. We were shaken out of our beds. Everyone is now out in the streets," said Izmit resident Mehmet Cankaya, speaking from the center of of the city.

Istanbul has a population of some 12 million people, and about 500,000 people live in the industrial city of Izmit. The quake also shook the capital Ankara, 270 miles to the east, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury there.

Telephone and electrical service was cut in several areas as the quake struck at 3:02 a.m., the radio said. Vehicles on the main highway linking Istanbul and Ankara slammed into each other during the earthquake, it said.

"We never felt such a strong earthquake before," said Bora Dalkilic, a college student in Istanbul. "We are staying outside in case there is another earthquake."

Much of Turkey sits on a fault zone. Ali Pinar, an official from the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory, said Izmit, also known as Kocaeli, is located on the fault line.

Pinar warned against aftershocks and urged people to get out of their homes immediately.

It was not clear if the quake damaged historical sites in Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia and Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman sultans.

"There may be after shocks now. But there won't be anything this big again now," Anatolian quoted the head of the Kandilli seismic center Ahmet Mete Isikara as saying. "There are aftershocks even now, but no one should panic."

A 6.3 magnitude quake that hit Turkey on June 27, 1998, killed 144 people and injured over 1,500 in and around the southern city of Adana.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 17, 1999

Answers

LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMMMBLE!

DATE- ( UTC ) -TIME LAT LON DEP MAG Q COMMENTS yy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss deg. deg. km 99/08/13 12:42:46 8.06S 75.80W 33.0 4.4Mb B CENTRAL PERU 99/08/13 13:05:52 43.64N 149.07E 33.0 5.5Mb A EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS 99/08/13 15:31:39 34.71N 32.87E 33.0 5.0Mb A CYPRUS REGION 99/08/13 17:10:17 35.72N 117.55W 6.0 3.0Ml CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 99/08/14 00:16:44 5.82S 104.64E 33.0 6.4Mb A SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA 99/08/14 11:07:24 16.56N 93.63W 91.5 4.1Mb A CHIAPAS, MEXICO 99/08/14 19:20:53 37.42N 117.08W 6.8 2.9Md CALIF-NEVADA BDR REG 99/08/14 20:09:09 53.61N 163.55W 33.0 4.4Mb A UNIMAK ISLAND REGION 99/08/15 00:41:48 11.98N 124.16E 33.0 5.2Mb C LEYTE, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 99/08/15 01:20:05 32.39N 140.34E 69.7 4.6Mb B SOUTH OF HONSHU, JAPAN 99/08/15 04:11:40 18.95N 102.93W 85.5 5.0Mb A MICHOACAN, MEXICO 99/08/15 04:30:08 63.42N 151.25W 12.0 3.8Ml CENTRAL ALASKA 99/08/15 10:52:07 53.08N 171.89W 33.0 4.4Mb D FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS 99/08/15 16:10:31 37.37N 117.07W 4.6 2.8Md CALIF-NEVADA BDR REG 99/08/15 16:18:38 18.35N 96.38E 33.0 5.1Mb B MYANMAR 99/08/15 19:50:12 5.30S 152.38E 33.0 5.5Ms B NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G. 99/08/15 23:46:30 17.92S 172.96W 33.0 4.7Mb B TONGA ISLANDS REGION 99/08/16 02:19:05 17.59S 172.55W 33.0 5.0Mb C TONGA ISLANDS REGION 99/08/16 07:28:59 31.86N 137.92E 362.7 5.0Mb A SOUTH OF HONSHU, JAPAN 99/08/16 18:16:11 26.07N 67.27E 33.0 4.7Mb B PAKISTAN 99/08/16 19:50:21 53.76N 160.19E 107.1 4.4Mb B NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 17, 1999.

I'll try again :)

LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMMMBLE!

DATE- ( UTC ) -TIME LAT LON DEP MAG Q COMMENTS

yy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss deg. deg. km

99/08/13 12:42:46 8.06S 75.80W 33.0 4.4Mb B CENTRAL PERU

99/08/13 13:05:52 43.64N 149.07E 33.0 5.5Mb A EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS

99/08/13 15:31:39 34.71N 32.87E 33.0 5.0Mb A CYPRUS REGION

99/08/13 17:10:17 35.72N 117.55W 6.0 3.0Ml CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

99/08/14 00:16:44 5.82S 104.64E 33.0 6.4Mb A SOUTHERN SUMATERA, INDONESIA

99/08/14 11:07:24 16.56N 93.63W 91.5 4.1Mb A CHIAPAS, MEXICO

99/08/14 19:20:53 37.42N 117.08W 6.8 2.9Md CALIF-NEVADA BDR REG

99/08/14 20:09:09 53.61N 163.55W 33.0 4.4Mb A UNIMAK ISLAND REGION

99/08/15 00:41:48 11.98N 124.16E 33.0 5.2Mb C LEYTE, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

99/08/15 01:20:05 32.39N 140.34E 69.7 4.6Mb B SOUTH OF HONSHU, JAPAN

99/08/15 04:11:40 18.95N 102.93W 85.5 5.0Mb A MICHOACAN, MEXICO

99/08/15 04:30:08 63.42N 151.25W 12.0 3.8Ml CENTRAL ALASKA

99/08/15 10:52:07 53.08N 171.89W 33.0 4.4Mb D FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

99/08/15 16:10:31 37.37N 117.07W 4.6 2.8Md CALIF-NEVADA BDR REG

99/08/15 16:18:38 18.35N 96.38E 33.0 5.1Mb B MYANMAR

99/08/15 19:50:12 5.30S 152.38E 33.0 5.5Ms B NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

99/08/15 23:46:30 17.92S 172.96W 33.0 4.7Mb B TONGA ISLANDS REGION

99/08/16 02:19:05 17.59S 172.55W 33.0 5.0Mb C TONGA ISLANDS REGION

99/08/16 07:28:59 31.86N 137.92E 362.7 5.0Mb A SOUTH OF HONSHU, JAPAN

99/08/16 18:16:11 26.07N 67.27E 33.0 4.7Mb B PAKISTAN

99/08/16 19:50:21 53.76N 160.19E 107.1 4.4Mb B NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 17, 1999.

Why is this posted here? (Yes I know it says OT, but even so...?)

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), August 17, 1999.

Because it's interesting- all Y2K makes us dull and boring. there is a whole world out there.......besides- we all know the fault zones are not y2k compliant....:)

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), August 17, 1999.

i like these ot reports i get most of my news this way. it said on the post it was OT you don't have to read them.interesting

-- interesting (want@know.com), August 17, 1999.

I agree that these OT topics should stay. They do relate to disaster preparedness and world events do effect other things...domino effect, right?

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), August 17, 1999.

Nigel -

You read the heading in the top level, your fingers opened the post, you got through the article, and now you wanna bitch!

I haven't figured out why your response was posted here..

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), August 17, 1999.

Here is a list by the # of fatalities for major earthquakes:

Major Earthquakes

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), August 17, 1999.

There's an oil refinery on fire in Izmit...........

SPECIAL NOTE: This fire was NOT caused by Y2K. Not all problems are caused by Y2K. Do not include this red truck in your list of refinery fires possibly caused by Y2K. If I see it in there, I'll whack your peepee.........

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), August 17, 1999.

Update:

At least 1,000 die in Turkish quake Thousands hurt; Istanbul high rises collapse; rescue efforts under way

MSNBC staff and wire reports IZMIT, Turkey, Aug. 17  Rescuers dug frantically with their bare hands Tuesday to free people trapped in the rubble of a massive earthquake that rocked western Turkey's biggest cities, with the prime ministers office saying at least 1,000 people were killed and 5,000 injured. As police, firefighters and family members rushed survivors to already packed hospitals, Turkish state television reported the death toll was quickly rising.

THE QUAKE struck at 3 a.m. local time (8 p.m. ET Monday), shaking people out of their beds and sending them into the streets in panic. Dozens of buildings collapsed in Istanbul, while the quake was centered in the industrial city of Izmit, located east of the capital.

MSNBC's Nicole Pope arrived in Izmit, a city of about 500,000 residents, four hours after the quake hit.

"People were dazed, walking around," she reported by telephone. "The Izmit hospital was in complete chaos. Injured people were lying around all over the place  on bare floors. There were many dead bodies wrapped in blankets. The nurses were unable to cope with the influx of injured."

Pope said that residents of Izmit dug in the rubble with their hands. Police first on the scenes of destruction joined in the search, which was woefully lacking in heavy equipment to raise entire walls collapsed on sleeping occupants.

There were discrepancies regarding the strength of the quake, with Turkish authorities putting the figure at about 6.8 on the Richter scale but the authoritative U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., estimating it at 7.8, which would classify it as a major geological event. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

Bill Smith, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said earthquakes in western Turkey are not common.

SHAKING BUILDINGS

The quake violently shook apartment blocks and buildings in Istanbul, 65 miles east of the epicenter. The city of 12 million people was plunged into darkness.

The same was true 270 miles to the west of the epicenter, where the Turkish capital Ankara also lost power. Bulgarian officials also reported feeling the quake, though no damage there was reported.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit set up a crisis center in Ankara and canceled a planned session of parliament. The Istanbul stock exchange was shut for the day and the main highway between Ankara and Istanbul closed due to a collapsed bridge.

"Unfortunately we are not in a position to give you any good news," Ecevit told reporters.

"It is too early to talk about the death toll and damage. There are communications problems, telephones are cut in many places ... but we are seeking ways of getting rescue teams to help as widely as possible."

In one of the worst reported results of the quake, at least 160 sailors died at the Golcuk Naval Base and another 100 more were believed trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings there.

U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, speaking from Istanbul where he was holding talks on a Caspian Sea oil and gas projects, told NBC's "Today" show that the scene was terrifying, not only because he was on the 12th floor of a hotel but because he could see people on the streets below screaming amid the rubble.

Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was visiting Ankara, was also unharmed. "Our thoughts and emotions are with the Turkish families. We are ready to help our ally in every way," the state-run Anatolian news agency quoted Shelton as saying.

While international aid agencies remained on stand-by to send foreign search and rescue teams, Turkish officials initially said they needed dogs and technical support to help them detect and rescue trapped survivors.

NBC's Andrea Mitchell reported from Washington that the U.S. government has already mobilizing for an aid effort to Turkey.

In the town of Tuzla, east of Istanbul, a construction worker stood beside the ruins of the apartment block, as residents pulled bricks away from the rubble and twisted metal.

"Until recently we were hearing sounds. My friend Saban was calling out: 'Help me.' But for a while now there has been no sound," said Birol Lule, a builder in his thirties.

A bulldozer helped with the rescue work and an ambulance stood by. More than 20 people remained trapped in the rubble of the seven-story building.

Reports said some tall buildings collapsed in Istanbul, and there were people trapped in the debris and begging for help.

"We saw the floor move, we all ran out of the house," said Ramazan Aydeniz, sitting in front of his ice-cream shop in Istanbul. "The kids, the elder were all in a panic."

MARMARA SEA COAST HIT HARD

The industrial province of Kocaeli on the Marmara Sea was the worst hit. At the quake epicenter near Izmit, bridges, homes and buildings collapsed. In Izmit, residents said rescuers were trying to reach people trapped in the ruins of a collapsed apartment block. A fire broke out at the major oil refinery owned by Tupras. Firefighters quickly controlled the blaze.

"Tell me my children are alive," pleaded Muzaffar Yarla, grabbing the arm of a Reuters reporter in Izmit as survivors clawed at the rubble of their homes to search for loved ones.

Minutes later a pair of bare feet, clearly lifeless, poked through the tangle of steel and concrete and the search halted briefly before neighbors struck up a loud wail.

Vehicles on the main highway linking Istanbul and Ankara slammed into each other during the earthquake.

"We never felt such a strong earthquake before," said Bora Dalkilic, a college student in Istanbul. "We are staying outside in case there is another earthquake."

The quake occurred at a relatively shallow 6 miles below the surface. More than 200 aftershocks followed, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said.

The Associated Press reported that historical sites in Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia and Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman sultans, did not appear to suffer damage.

A 6.3 magnitude quake that hit Turkey on June 27, 1998, killed 144 people and injured over 1,500 in and around the southern city of Adana.

MSNBC's Nicole Pope in Izmit and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 17, 1999.

Shift Happens... even in the middle of "other" events.

Lessons to be learned for emergency preparedness issues, everywhere.

The statement...

"We never felt such a strong earthquake before," said Bora Dalkilic, a college student in Istanbul. "We are staying outside in case there is another earthquake."

... is EXACTLY what I kept hearing over and over, during and after the 1994 Northridge Quake in the L.A. area. And people stayed outside in the parks, rather than remain indoors. Car camping became a necessity for many.

I DO KNOW just how the people in Turkey feel right now and my heart and wishes for their safety go out to them. (It's the aftershocks that really get you tangled in a bundle of nerves).

And... this just illustrates... one more time... there are lot's of reasons to prepare for Y2K... and beyond.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), August 17, 1999.

Check this out...if memory serves me correctly this is very rare.

99/08/15 23:46:30 17.92S 172.96W 33.0 4.7Mb B TONGA ISLANDS REGION 99/08/16 02:19:05 17.59S 172.55W 33.0 5.0Mb C TONGA ISLANDS REGION

here is an instance where there is actually a foreshock prior to the main, larger quake...kinda interesting.

Mike

who doesn't have a globe and is very interested in what geographic location falls exactly opposite Izmit.

====================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), August 17, 1999.

Check this out...if memory serves me correctly this is very rare.

99/08/15 23:46:30 17.92S 172.96W 33.0 4.7Mb B TONGA ISLANDS REGION

99/08/16 02:19:05 17.59S 172.55W 33.0 5.0Mb C TONGA ISLANDS REGION

here is an instance where there is actually a foreshock prior to the main, larger quake...kinda interesting.

Mike

who doesn't have a globe and is very interested in what geographic location falls exactly opposite Izmit and hates when formats get all wacky

====================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), August 17, 1999.

And... one more time...

Check out the Global Seismic Monitor (great map) ...

http://www.iris.washington.edu/seismic/60_2040_1_8.html

The display is updated every 30 minutes using data from the National Earthquake Information Center. Earthquakes that have occurred within the last 24 hours are shown with red circles. The circles fade through orange to yellow within 15 days. After 15 days, the circles are replaced by light purple dots that remain on the map for five years. The distribution of seismicity over the past 5 years demonstrates how earthquakes define the boundaries of tectonic plates, and the relationship between topography and seismicity. The Earths shadow illustrates day/night and seasonal changes.

Click in the center of a circle and a list of all events will appear with the event you selected highlighted in yellow and events within 10 degrees of that event highlighted in white. Events that are 6.0 and greater are linked to special information pages that try to explain the where, how and why that particular event occurred. Click on an individual seismic observatory (shown by the purply colored triangles) to bring up a station information page.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), August 17, 1999.

Mike, Tonga (Samoa and New Zealand) are ALL very near the exact opposite of Turkey.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 17, 1999.

hmmmm, Gayla.... what's on the opposite side of California or Missouri...?

-- hmm (lisa@work.now), August 17, 1999.

Lisa, not much! The exact opposite is in the Indian ocean, about halfway between Australia and the southern tip of Africa.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 17, 1999.

If everyone posts everything interesting here, even with OT against it, even browsing through the index will become a drag. Also the index seems to be of limited length: things disappear off the bottom after a couple of days at most, and the more OT posts the faster the on-topic ones will disappear.

Hence my minor bitch.

-- Nigel Arnot (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), August 17, 1999.

Nigel, you might want to click on the "New Answers" link at the top of the forum. Every thread with an answer for the past week will be available there. Also, have you checked out the new prep forum? Everything posted there is about Y2K.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 17, 1999.