Tejas Srinivasan
2nd November 2020
Turkey- An earthquake of 7.0 Magnitude hit Izmir on Turkey's Western side on Friday, 30th October 2020.
According to CNN, the earthquake was considered to be one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Turkey in the last ten years. The country has also reported nearly 1000+ aftershocks, some crossing magnitudes 4.0 and above which were felt in parts of Turkey, and Greece. The high magnitude earthquake injured nearly 994 people, and the number of deaths rose to 100 on Tuesday.
Bayrakli was reportedly one of the badly affected regions in Izmir. As a result of the extreme fear of repeated tremors, people had to take refuge in tents. This earthquake is considered one of the deadliest after the earthquake in Turkey's eastern province early this January, which ended up taking 40 people's lives.
One of the biggest stories of hope was the rescues of two children during the rescue mission. Reports by CNN and BBC state that the two-year-old AydaGezgin was found under a sturdy dishwasher that acted as a shield and protected her from the falling rubbles. Rescue workers found her stuck in the rubbles after nearly 91 hours. The dishwasher acted as a barrier and saved her from falling debris. The rescue workers called this 'the life triangle'. According to the latest reports, while Turkey reported multiple deaths, Samos' Greek island also faced the earthquake's effects. A tsunami also took place, taking the lives of nearly 111 people.
In Turkey, nearly 4000+ aftershocks have been reported, which triggered a mini tsunami in Turkey. According to Turkey's department of disaster management and authority, this earthquake is the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey in the last decade.
The earthquake triggered a tsunami in the Aegean Sea that hit coastal areas of Turkey that went to heights of 6 Feet in Sigacik and 19 feet in Akarca.
(Sources- CNN, Washington Post, NBC News, CNN, BBC, NDTV)
Edited by– Sravanthi Neralla