Massive earthquake hits Turkey

Turkey and Greece were hit by a massive earthquake on Friday. The western coast of Turkey along with some parts of Greece experienced 196 aftershocks, 23 of which had the magnitude above 4. Nearly 26 people have been reported dead until now and more than 700 are injured.

The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded to be around 7.0 on the Richter scale. Much of the damage occurred in and around Turkey’s Aegean resort city of Izmir, which has three million residents and is filled with high-rise apartment blocks.

Many people uploaded various videos on their social media accounts that captured some of the horrific incidents that occurred during the earthquake, while others have posted prayers for Turkey.

Some of the world’s strongest earthquakes have been registered along a fault line that runs across Turkey to Greece.

In 1999, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s northwest, killing more than 17,000 people, including 1,000 in Istanbul.

In Greece, the last deadly quake killed two people on the island of Kos, near Samos, in July 2017.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the global body was “closely following” the situation in Greece and Turkey after the earthquake. “We will work with the two countries to ensure that emergency medical care is provided for those in need. Our thoughts are with all those affected,” he said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer his condolences and support. They also tweeted their support to each following the tragedy. “Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,” Mitsotakis said on Twitter. “Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister,” Erdogan tweeted in reply. “That two neighbor’s show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life.”

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