Very Deadly Turkey Earthquake 2011: Death Toll At 605 + November 8 Very Strong Aftershocks

Very Dangerous  Van- Ercis, Turkey Earthquake 2011- Aftershocks are still recorded in this area.

 
Related Disaster Report: Extremely Dangerous Van, Turkey Aftershocks

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 A rescue worker in Turkey carries an infant to an ambulance after his team found her alive in a collapsed building. Photo Courtesy: Reuter

UPDATE 11/09/2011

Extremely dangerous aftershocks of magnitude M 5.6  is recorded in the same area today. Click here for detail report

 
UPDATE 23:12
The USGS shaking alert is green which means there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

UPDATE 23:03
About 2000 people will experience a very strong shaking. Again people of Van and Ercis seems to be largely affected by this quake.


UPDATE 11/8/2011, 22:48
A very strong aftershocks of M 5.6 is recorded in the same area today. The epicenter is located 32 km (19 miles) NW of Van, Turkey. It is shallow earthquake at 9.4 km depth and can cause more damage. However no damage report is obtained till now.


UPDATE 11/8/2011
Very shallow moderate aftershocks is recorded in same area today.
M 4.5 @ 6 km depth (14:365 UTC)25 km (15 miles) NE of Van, Turkey

UPDATE 11/7/2011
Two Moderate Aftershocks recorded.
M 4.5 @ 20 km depth (16:11 UTC)The epicenter of this moderate quake was 32 km NE Van & 41 km SE Ercis
M 4.5 @ 7 km depth ( 15:53 UTC)This moderate shallow earthquake was 29 km NE Van & 41 km SE Ercis

UPDATE 11/6/2011
-3 more bodies are pulled from earthquake rubble more than 12 days after bringing Turkey’s earthquake death toll to 603.
-US-based Ebru TV telethon has collected  nearly $800,000 for victims of Turkey quake.

3:40 UTC 
EMSC mentions M 4.7 @ 3.0 km depth much shallower than USGS 

UPATE 11/6/2011 3:12 UTC
Another shallow moderate aftershocks is recorded in Eastern Turkey. The epicenter location of this earthquake is just 17 km SE Ercis (pop 91,91535) & 49 km N Van (pop 371,713), TURKEY

Satellite map of Van Turkey aftershocks, epicenter area

Note :These were the live updates during the time of incident.The original site is collapsed, and hence the material is copied( to be notified, both blogs are of same blogger). The post will be updated from here.

UPDATE 11/01/2011
Still the aftershocks are recorded

M 4.6 @10km depth (UTC 13:24)

M 4.5 @ 7.2 km depth (UTC 4:34)

UPDATE 11/01/2011
-Death toll has now increased to 600, according to the most recent official figures from Turkey.
-Health officials in Ercis, warned survivors against drinking tap water due to fears the supply had been contaminated with sewage

-Many survivors are still out in tents, fearing further building collapses with rain and snow adding to their misery

-City Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar has said new housing will be ready in Van city by September next year for people left homeless by the quake.

UPDATE 10/30/2011
The death has risen to 582

Deputy prime minister Besir Atalay says, rescue teams in eastern Turkey will be winding up because hope of finding anyone else alive has run out.

 
UPDATE 10/29/2011

The death toll rises to 575

1100+ aftershocks have been recorded till now!

UPDATE  10/28/2011 (2:03 UTC)
-The death toll climbs to 534 with 2300 people injured. A total of 185 people have been rescued since the quake struck.

-More than 12 countries have offered help, including Israel, Ukraine, France, Russia, Britain, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan

UPDATE ( 10:10 UTC)

-The prime minister's centre for crisis and emergency management, Turkey on Thursday said 523 people had been killed, 1650 injured and 185 had been rescued from the rubble.

-A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey.This quake hit the districts of Yuksekova and Hakkari, near the borders with Iraq and Iran, south of Van province. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

 

UPDATE

 -A 19-year-old boy named Muhammed, is pulled out alive from the rubble of a collapsed   building after four days.

-Rain and snow are compounding difficulties for the thousands rendered homeless in the earthquake that killed 481 people and shattered over 2,200 buildings.

-Turkish authorities are delivering more tents Thursday and admit initial problems distributing aid.
 

UPDATE 10/27/2011(1:30 UTC)

The death toll climbs to 481 with 1,650 number of injured people
-The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has said that 'hundreds, possibly thousands' of people are still trapped under the rubble in the eastern region.

-“The situation is now under control and all the debris will be cleaned very shortly, and there will be planning for a new Van as well as a new urban development in Erciş,” the prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in reference to the district that was worst hit by the earthquake.

-The president Abdullah Gül  announced plans to visit the disaster areas in Van on Oct. 28.

-Weather reports said temperatures in Van province would dip two to 4C on Thursday, with further snow expected at night.

UPDATE 15:31 UTC
-A truck en route to Van city center was stopped and looted during a live broadcast on CNNTürk.

Looters carried items donated by volunteers from around Turkey to their cars and trucks. The video was later broadcasted on daily Hürriyet's website.

-French foreign ministry said France will send a plane carrying humanitarian aid including tents to Turkey on Thursday to assist victims of the country's devastating earthquake

-Iranian consular diplomats in Istanbul have organized a blood drive for the Van earthquake victims.

UPDATE 11:42 UTC
The death toll has increase to 462 with three more dead bodies found.
A teacher and a university student were rescued from ruined buildings after three days.Earlier on Wednesday, rescuers also pulled out 18-year old university student Eyüp Erdem, using tiny cameras mounted on sticks to locate him

Still the minor aftershocks are recorded

UPDATE 9:44 UTC

 Israel quickly responded to Turkey's call for international aid, sending seven prefab houses to the quake-stricken eastern province of Van.

Japan, meanwhile, decided to send $400,000 and tents in aid as Macedonia said it would send 100,000 euros to quake victims.

  

UPDATE 8:41 UTC

-There is report of riot at a jail in Turkey's quake-stricken Van province after authorities refused to transfer frightened prisoners to a safer place.Shots rang out from the complex, and smoke billowed into the night sky after prisoners set fire to their blankets in protest.Firemen were called in to put out the blaze. It is after the earlier case when some 200 prisoners escaped from the jail after the tremor, but 50 returned after meeting with their relatives.

-Survivors of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Van looted aid trucks arriving in the quake-hit city last night. The looting happened primarily due to a lack of organization in distributing the aid, which led to some survivors not having received food or water for days. 

 UPDATE 

Turkey will accept foreign aid, including from Israel, to cope with a major earthquake. Remember that Turkey initially turned down offers of international aid after Sunday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake

Israel made an offer of assistance on Sunday, shortly after the quake struck, but initially without it being taken up by Turkey. President Shimon Peres called his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul to express sympathy.

Ties between Israel and Turkey, once strong allies, have been strained since May 2010 when Israeli naval commandos stormed a flotilla trying to sail to Gaza in defiance of a blockade, killing nine Turks.

IMPORTANT UPDATES (10/26/2011)

-According to the Disaster and Emergency Administration The toll from Sunday's powerful   earthquake in Turkey has risen to 459. At least 1,352 other people were injured.

-While the death toll stood at 459, officials said it was likely to rise as many people were still missing.

-A total of 3,346 search and rescue personnel have been dispatched to the quake-hit province of Van in southeastern Turkey

-Complaints over the lack of tents have grown louder with each passing day, and some desperate survivors fought among themselves to try and grab tents being distributed by relief workers from the back of a truck.

-Rain fell in the region Tuesday, with expectations that the first winter snow would fall soon.

-Japan's embassy in Ankara said its government was donating $400,000 to the relief effort and would be sending urgently needed items including tents.

UPDATE
-The death toll climbs to 432. Still aftershocks are recorded there. -The strongest aftershocks today was M 5.7 at the depth of 37 km. Still aftershocks of M 4+ are recorded . Till the time of updating this blog, on an average one earthquake are recorded at the interval of just 2-3 minutes (M 3 to M 4)
-Voices of concern were raised recently over the inability of the government to provide sufficient aid to quake zones.

-Police used pepper gas to disperse the angry crowd, but there were complaints among survivors in other areas that soldiers whose barracks had been damaged were being given priority in the aid effort.

UPDATE 16:01 UTC

Another Very Strong aftershocks of M 5.7, 37 km (22 miles) NNE of Van, Turkey @ 7.3 km depth(14:55 UTC)

It is strong one but since most of the people are already out on the road, we don't expect worse situation.

source: aksam.com.tr

UPDATE 11:55 UTC 

 A 2-week-old baby girl on Tuesday was pulled alive from the rubble of an apartment building 72 hours after the Earthquake happened.

Still aftershocks are recorded <M 3.5

UPDATE 10:20 UTC  

According to the statement issued by the the Disaster and Emergency Administration, Turkey the death toll in an earthquake which shook southeast Turkey on Sunday has risen to 366, with 1,301 people injured
-2,262 buildings collapsed

-It is reported by the local medias that the general state of the roads around Van were jammed today, possibly due to heavy transportation of wounded people and casualties

UPDATE 07:25 UTC

 The iconic image of Yunus at the
moment of rescue. REUTERS Photo.

Yunus Geray, 13, became a symbol of hope of the devastating earthquake in Van when a Reuters photographer captured the moment of his rescue.
 The miracle lasted very briefly, because Yunus lost his life due to heart failure minutes after he was sent to the hospital.
 The boy had waited hours lying under a dead body before the teams could reach him. His terrified face, with a dead hand hanging over his shoulder, was one of the most iconic images of the catastrophe that had struck the eastern cities. (from Hürriyet Daily News)
Erciş, a town of almost 75,000 people, now seems like a dead zone. Crowds of people are running from one place to another trying to get aid, find their relatives or help others.
The rescue teams are digging a hole, shouting for people under the rubble and trying to hear a voice
Another aftershocks of M 4.2 @10 km depth, 21 km (13 miles) ENE of Van, Turkey (UTC 6:36)

 
UPDATE 10/25/2011 (03:05 UTC)
-According to Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay More than half of the victims lost their lives in the district of Erciş, while many people also died in nearby villages
- The number of buildings were destroyed in the earthquake announced as 970.

-According to the statement made by the Town Hall, 29 Oct.-air fireworks celebration has been canceled due to the earthquake and the Çukurca'daki martyrs.

-Zero-degree temperature in the region fell, tomorrow (Wednesday) is expected snowfall

-The Education Ministry said in a statement that 22 of the victims were teachers and eight were students.
-Turkcell has announced 1-month free 100 minutes and 100 text messages (SMS)

-Turkcell Superonline has announced free internet until the end of the year.

-Turk Telekom home and business phone calls made between 23 and 24 October 2011 will not be charged. Public pay phones will be free.

UPDATE
Moderate 4+ aftershocks are still recorded, very shallow to 1.0 km depth too. There can be more aftershocks . Probably now, hope < 5

UPDATE 15:52 UTC 

The death toll increases to 279

According to government official statement, 48 provinces and 39 search and rescue organization, health and first aid personnel and equipment, 11, Turkish Airlines, including 16 military and 1 private cargo plane and a total of 28 aircraft with air and ground vehicles are  shipped to the region

A total of 71 search and rescue personnel to the region of 3 thousand, 718 medical personnel, 12 search dogs, 496 in construction equipment and vehicles, including 116 ambulance air ambulance 7, 33 generators, 95 mobile toilets, 8 thousand 964 tents, 229 blankets, 25 thousand , 120 food packages thousand, 10 thousand 64 food parcel, 21 mobile kitchens, 2 thousand 619 kitchen sets, stoves, catalytic 4 thousand 132, 425 sleeping bag, 1 and 500 food packages sent to the mobile oven.

Aftershocks of M 7.2 Turkey Earthquake

M 5.0 @ 17 km depth, 23 km NW Van, Turkey (UTC 15:28)

UPDATE 13:18 UTC

Following Hürriyet Daily News, "We are working with primitive tools, we have no equipment," one rescuer said.

Emergency personnel said they heard cries for help coming from under a collapsed building this morning and started to work on the wreckage to reach the survivors. The cries had stopped at around noon, they said, adding that they had to dig out the dead bodies of quake victims.

The spirit among rescuers is noticeably low, and some members could only weep in frustration at the situation.

Banks, hospitals and stores were all damaged or destroyed in the quake but there have been no reports of looting as people have continued to walk around Erciş in shock.

Many survivors said the only thing they wanted was some bread.

UPDATE 12:29 UTC
The death by Turkey Eartqauke has risen to 264

Damaging of 15 mosques is reported

Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, said, "There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction."

Officials have warned that the death toll is likely to rise dramatically.

Aftershocks of M 7.2 Turkey Earthquake

M 4.4 @ 17.4 km depth, 19 km (11 miles) ENE of Van, Turkey (UTC 10:30)

UPDATE 10:37 UTC
Local medias are mentioning 264 deathsTurkish media reported that about 200 prisoners had escaped from Van's main jail, but 50 returned after seeing their families

UPDATE 10:01 UTC

The death toll for Turkey Earthquake has risen to 239 people, with around 1,300 people injured, according to Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay.

Interior Minister Idris Naim Şahin had said about 80 multistory buildings collapsed in the city of Erciş alone when the earthquake struck Sunday. He said some 40 buildings still had people trapped inside, giving rise to fears that the death toll could increase substantially. The minister had not given any estimates.
Aftershocks of M 7.2 Turkey Earthquake

M 4.8 @ 6.7 km depth, 15 km (9 miles) ENE of Van, Turkey ( UTC 8:49)

Volunteers help victims in panic over the ruins of a collapsed building as they look for their relatives in the eastern province of Van. Hundreds of buildings in and near Van are thought to have collapsed in a powerful earthquake that shook the area yesterday. Courtesy AA photo

UPDATE 8:52 UTC

Aftershocks of M 7.2 Turkey Earthquake

M 4.7 @ 6 km depth, 18 km (11 miles) NE of Van, Turkey (UTC 8:28)

M 4.5 @ 10 km depth,  28 km (17 miles) ENE of Van, Turkey ( UTC 8:12)

Global search engine Google (on the top of page) has established its Person Finder service in Turkish for those affected by the dangerous earthquake. It allows  users to either post information they have on victims or to follow up on their relatives and friends who have been stuck in earthquake sites (It has currently tracked about 1500 records)

The United States, Britain, Greece, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Israel, Ireland, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Georgia, China, Ukraine, Russia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Kosovo, the EU, NATO and the U.N. offered to help Turkey after the earthquake.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish ally in this difficult time and are ready to assist the Turkish authorities," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.

UPDATE 7:29 UTC

Aftershocks M 7.2 Turkey Earthquake

M 4.5 @ 16.6 km depth,59 km ESE Van, Turkey (@ UTC 6:46)

Power supply and telecommunication broke down in Van and Ercis. The airport of Van City is located at the lake shore, and has been damaged but seems to be operational now.
Cold weather will cause additional stress to homeless persons, and those who are afraid to return to their homes. Around this time of the year night time temperatures reach 0° Celsius.
The aftershock activity contains still magnitudes  around M5 posing some threat to Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.

UPDATE 6:36 UTC
Aftershocks M 7.2 Turkey Earthquake
M 4.6 @10 km depth 18 km (11 miles) NNW of Van, Turkey
M 4.8 @ 24.3 km depth 12 km (7 miles) W of Van, Turkey

The hardest-hit area was Erciş, an eastern city of 75,000 close to the Iranian border and on one of Turkey's most earthquake-prone zones

Around 1,275 rescue teams from 38 provinces were being sent to the region, officials said, and troops were also assisting search-and-rescue efforts.

970 buildings/houses have been destroyed including around 80 multi-storey buildings in Ercis

About 300 aftershocks are recorded after M 7.2 Dangerous one

UPDATE 4:50(UTC)

M 4.3 another afershock 27 km (16 miles) NNW of Van, Turkey (4:18 UTC)
Death Toll remains at 217

So far I am writing this, the death toll has risen to 217 in Eastern Turkey.
A hundred people died in Van city and 117 in the Ercis district of Van province, said Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin, adding 1,090 were injured.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters the death toll is likely to climb, as rescue teams work through the night to save people still trapped in the rubble.

The quake caused several buildings in Ercis to collapse, trapping an unknown number of citizens in the debris.
( photo courtesy: CNN)

Six helicopters, including four helicopter ambulances, as well as C-130 military cargo planes were sent to the area carrying tents, food and medicine.

Some 200 inmates fled the prison in Van province, when the building was damaged in the quake, media reports said. But 50 of the inmates returned to prison later after seeing their families, they added.

US President Barack Obama offered his condolences to the victims of the massive quake and said the United States stood ready to assist the country's authorities.

In 1999, two strong quakes in the heavily populated and industrialised regions of northwest Turkey left some 20,000 dead. A powerful earthquake in the town of Caldiran in Van province killed 3,840 people in 1976.