First, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş at 4.17, and two earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.5 occurred in Gaziantep in southern Turkey.
At 13.24, a new earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 occurred in Gözpınar-Ekinözü / Kahramanmaraş.
After the earthquakes felt in almost half of our country, our death toll exceeded a thousand, while many buildings were destroyed, the number of injured can be expressed in the thousands.
TAG Highway was closed to traffic
The Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep (TAG) Highway, which was damaged in the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, the epicenter of which is Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and affecting 10 provinces in total, was closed to transportation between Osmaniye and Gaziantep, traffic is directed to the D-400 state road.
Search and rescue work continues in destroyed buildings in Diyarbakır
Search and rescue efforts continue in the buildings destroyed in the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, the epicenter of which is in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and affecting 10 provinces.
In Diyarbakır, AFAD, UMKE, 112 Emergency Health, police, gendarmerie and fire brigade teams were dispatched to carry out search and rescue work in 6 destroyed buildings.
9 people were rescued from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaziantep, Malatya and Kilis
Nine people were rescued from the debris of collapsed buildings in Gaziantep, Malatya and Kilis, which were affected by the earthquake. Search and rescue teams, which were directed to the buildings affected by the earthquake and destroyed, are trying to remove those under the rubble. The teams pulled 2 people out of the wreckage of the 4-storey building on Gaziantep Gazi Muhtar Boulevard. Six people were rescued from the demolished 3-storey building on Yeni Ocak Street in Kilis, Yavuz Sultan District, and one person was rescued from the destroyed apartment building in Malatya's Zafer Mahallesi. The injured were taken to hospitals in the city.
Some houses were damaged in Kayseri
In Kayseri, where the earthquake was felt, 2 houses and a barn were damaged in rural neighborhoods. Metropolitan Mayor Memduh Büyükkılıç, in a statement on his social media account, stated that they met with all districts in the crisis center created under the coordination of the Kayseri Governorship.
Aid from all provinces
In addition to the public institutions that were vigilant after the earthquake, citizens also made a great effort to help. While the governorships were appointed for in-kind aid, it was stated that there was a greater need for heating equipment such as heaters and blankets.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya stated that after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş, search and rescue teams and aid materials were sent to the region from Istanbul.
Governor Yerlikaya made a statement on his social media account: "We are at AFAD right after the earthquake. At the first stage, 80 AFAD officers, 27 accredited municipalities and NGOs, 968 Search and Rescue volunteers, 4 K9 dogs, 2 trucks and relief materials set out from Istanbul to the earthquake area. Sorry for your loss. I wish our injured a speedy recovery."
There are 4 dead, 10 injured in Musabeyli district
Kilis Governorate reported that 4 people were killed and 10 injured in the earthquake in the city. The statement noted:
"As of 07.15, 49 notifications were received. There are 4 dead and 10 injured in Musabeyli district. 26 AFAD personnel, 8 volunteers, 6 MEB AKUB personnel, security, gendarmerie, fire brigade, search and rescue teams continue to work on damage assessment and debris removal. Search and rescue efforts continue. In addition, education and training has been suspended in the center and villages of our province until further notice."
Search and rescue effort
Search and rescue work is carried out in the debris of buildings destroyed in the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and was effective in many provinces. Teams were sent to the buildings destroyed after the earthquake, which was also effective in Gaziantep, Malatya, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa and Kilis. Teams are carrying out rescue work for those who are under the rubble. Meanwhile, 4-year-old Hanifi Mert Balaban, who was left in the wreckage of a two-storey house in Malatya's Doğanşehir district, was rescued. The little boy was taken to Doğanşehir Martyr Esra Köse Başaran State Hospital.
Historical Gaziantep Castle also damaged
In Gaziantep, which was affected by the earthquake, the historical castle was also damaged. While some of the bastions in the east, south and southeast parts of the historical Gaziantep Castle in the central Şahinbey district were destroyed by the earthquake, the debris was scattered on the road. The iron railings around the castle were scattered on the surrounding sidewalks. On the other hand, the dome and eastern wall of the historical Şirvani Mosque, which is located next to the castle and is said to have been built in the 17th century, partially collapsed.
Erdogan received information from the governors after the earthquake
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talked to the governors of Adana, Malatya, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Hatay, Adıyaman, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa on the phone and received information about the situation after the earthquake and search and rescue activities.
"We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage, and we continue our work," Erdoğan said.
Vigilance taken for uninterrupted communication
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure was vigilant due to the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and was also effective in the surrounding provinces, instructing the operators to provide uninterrupted communication to the citizens and opened all mobile, internet and fixed lines closed due to debt.
All closed phone lines opened
In the statement made on the social media account of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, it was noted that all GSM operators will increase the capacity of the phone lines and provide internet service, so that the people of the region do not suffer due to the earthquake that occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş.
Great damage occurred in Hatay, there are dead
Hatay Governor Rahmi Doğan stated that there were buildings destroyed as a result of the earthquake in the city and said, "There are people who lost their lives, we have many injured."
Turkish Red Crescent teams moved to the earthquake zone
Turkish Red Crescent reported that the teams moved to the region due to the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş. In the statement made by the Turkish Red Crescent, it was stated that after the earthquake, a crisis desk was set up at the Red Crescent Disaster Operation Center in Ankara Etimesgut, and the teams moved to the earthquake area with the shelter and nutrition materials they loaded from the regional operation centers and the central warehouses in Ankara.
Gaziantep Governor Davut Gul, "There are 531 dents throughout the city. We received 657 reports from the first moment after the earthquake, all of them were evaluated, there are 531 dents throughout the city," he said.