Earthquake hits Turkey!!!

[Mama San]

SUZI, ARE YOU OK????????

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, May 1, 2003 Posted: 12:31 AM EDT (0431 GMT)

Strong earthquake hits southeastern Turkey, CNN Turk's Fatih Turkmenoglu reports (May 1)


ISTANBUL, Turkey -- More than 100 children are reported buried after a strong earthquake struck southeastern Turkey.

Turkish officials told The Associated Press that at least 135 children are trapped in a collapsed school dormitory in Bingol after the 6.4-quake struck the city.

At least five people are reported as killed in the early morning quake but scores more are feared dead.

The tremor sent hundreds of frightened residents on to the streets, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported.

A short while ago, CNN Turk's Fatih Turkmenoglu reported 22 aftershocks in the area. Power has also been cut.

Bingol is a small and underdeveloped city with few high-rises and not much heavy industry.

Nevertheless, officials warned residents to stay away from their homes for fear of collapse.

Magnitude 6.4 earthquakes are classified as "strong" quakes, capable of causing lots of damage, especially in areas of poor construction.

In 1999, a 7.4 earthquake struck northwestern Turkey, near the Sea of Marmara, killing more than 18,000 people.

Poor construction standards were blamed for the large number of deaths.

-- CNN's Fatih Turkmenoglu and The Associated Press contributed to this report
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May 1, 2003 is the National Day of Prayer!!
Prayers for our service men and women and for the
freedom of all people all over the world!

We need to add the people of Turkey to that prayer list!!

God bless,
Mama san

 

[suziwong]

Dear Casey,

Yes we are fine. it was far from Istanbul. We lost too many people.. Too many people dead !! We are waiting a news. one of the school camp falled down. approx. 143 young people waiting under the wreck !! we don't know !! Turkey is crying again for earthquake.

"Poor construction standards were blamed for the large number of deaths. "

You are right Casey !!

Thank you very much for your prays !!
I love youuuuuuuuuuuuuu soooooooooooooooooooo much Casey!!

God Bless

 

[Mama San]

Suzi, my little friend,
Praise the Lord!!!!
I am so very glad to
hear that you are OK!!
We must all pray for
those caught in this
terrible disaster!!
I love you, too, sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!
God bless,
Mama san

 

[Purplelotus1]

May God be with them

 

[Lotussan]

Blessings to you all, Suzi! We love you! Be safe and well dear friend...

 

[Amos Stevens]

Suziwong I heard about this on the news this morning & immediately wondered how you & yours were. Sorry to hear that so many have been killed & still in endangered

 

[Lotussan]

How many Amos, that is sad... I had not heard about it, I get a lot of my news right here!

 

[Rodrigo]

Thank God Istambul was not hit... But, unfortunately, many young Turkish "brothers and sisters" were harmed...
Let's just hope no earthquakes happen again in this so great country, that I truly love !!!

 

[Pat]

Suzi,
I had not heard the news until now, but my thoughts and
prayers will be all of those effected in your country.
Hope as many as possible can be saved unharmed. When
children are involved it always touches me deeply.
Love and best wishes to you
Pat

 

[suziwong]

Thank you all for your comments and prays concerning the earthquake !! Such things will happen again.

in oneness

 

[katrina102457]

I am so happy that you are safe, My prayers fo your country.....Love, katrina

 

[Amos Stevens]

Lotussan;this seems to be the latest:

Children trapped in Turkey quake


Nearly 200 children were in the school when it collapsed
A frantic search is continuing for scores of children trapped under the debris of their school dormitory in south-eastern Turkey where an earthquake struck overnight.

Across the affected region around 100 people are known to have died when the tremor struck at 0337 local time (0037 GMT) with a magnitude of 6.4 - its epicentre close to the city of Bingol.

Desperate parents rushed to the school to await news of their children as rescuers clambering over the collapsed four-storey building said they could hear cries for help.

"May God protect us from worse. All our efforts are now concentrated on saving our children from the rubble," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who flew to Bingol to oversee rescue operations.

So far, 72 children have been pulled out alive at the primary and middle school in Celtiksuyua 12 kilometres (seven miles) from Bingol.

The bodies of at least 11 children and one teacher have been found, rescuers say, and more than 100 others are feared stuck under tons of concrete.

"My friends are waiting for help in there," said 12-year-old survivor Yeysel Dagdelen.


"They were calling for help as they were pulling me out."

Parents who rushed to the scene had to be held back by soldiers as rescuers dug through the wreckage, some with their bare hands.

The school, built in the late 1990s, was home to around 200 children from surrounding villages too small to have their own school.

 

[suziwong]

Thank you very much Amos !! I sorry for this !!

"Poor construction standards were blamed for the large number of deaths. "

That is the truth !! I am very sorry !!
God Bless all of you
in oneness

 

[tora]

All the best wishes and blessings to the Turkish people.And I'm glad you're okay,Suzi!

 

[Amos Stevens]

Hopes fade for Turkey kids
02/05/2003 16:29 - (SA)



Celtiksuyu, Turkey - Hopes faded on Friday for dozens
of children trapped in the rubble of a school in
quake-hit eastern Turkey as frustration over the
official handling of the disaster boiled over into
violence between police and angry crowds.

Rescuers working around-the-clock in the wreckage of a
boarding school in the village of Celtiksuyu managed
to pull out only one survivor by Friday afternoon, and
said they were starting to lose hope.

Four bodies were recovered, NTV television said.

Cries for help that had led rescuers to scores of
survivors ceased on Friday, and officials decided to
start removing the huge concrete blocks with heavy
earth-moving machines.

"Neither the listening devices nor the dogs were able
to detect any sound. I cannot say I am hopeful but
there is always a chance and we will work until the
end," one rescuer said.

Devastated parents wept and wailed"Though we have
failed to receive any indication of life, we will
continue to work as if there were people alive
underneath," officials announced through a loudspeaker
as devastated parents wept and wailed.

About 200 children were trapped early on Thursday when
an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit
the impoverished mainly Kurdish province of Bingol,
killing 115 people and injuring 500 others across the
region.

Bingol's deputy governor Ahmet Aydin told Anatolia
news agency that 117 pupils were rescued in
Celtiksuyu, while 46 children and one teacher were
killed.

He estimated that up to 40 children were still buried.


In nearby Bingol city, police clashed with crowds
protesting at the slow distribution of tents following
the tremor.

Chaos as dozens of rounds fired

In chaotic scenes, soldiers and police officers fired
dozens of rounds in the air with automatic rifles as
many protestors threw themselves on the ground.

The unrest, which underscored tensions between
authorities and the region's mainly Kurdish
population, resulted in the sacking of the city's
police chief.

The incident erupted when several hundred people
gathered in front of the governor's office to ask for
tents after spending the night in the streets.

Local people had been told to keep out of damaged
buildings as aftershocks continued to jolt the region.


Police intervened when the angry crowd refused to
leave and chanted anti-government slogans, while
several people attempted to storm the office of the
governor.

A police vehicle drove into the crowd, fuelling the
rage.

In retaliation, protestors attacked police with sticks
and stones, leaving several people injured and
triggering new bursts of gunfire.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that
"according to information from intelligence sources,
there have been very serious acts of provocation"
aimed at disrupting public order and relief efforts.

Relief work 'on track'

Erdogan said relief work in the area was on track and
called on the quake victims to show patience.

But frustration deepened after the violence.

"The aid is not distributed equally. Relatives and
acquaintances of parliament members receive more,"
said Fahrettin Demirel, who took part in the protest.

"We were expecting understanding, but we were answered
with bullets."

But for 13-year-old Enes Gunce, the only person pulled
alive from the school debris on Friday, the day marked
a miracle.

"When I woke up this morning I felt terrible pains and
started to shout. They heard me and came to save me,"
Gunce, who was trapped under a bunk bed, told Anatolia
after a 10-hour rescue operation.

His rescue was greeted with cheers and applause, but
for many fathers and mothers with no news of their
children, it was yet another disappointment.

"My world has been darkened but hope in Allah should
never die," Gazal Gunanan, a sobbing Kurdish mother
said in broken Turkish.

Angry parents and experts have blamed the disaster at
the boarding school on poor building standards, and
Erdogan promised to launch an investigation into the
company that built the school.

Disregard for building regulations and widespread
fraud in Turkey's construction sector has long been
blamed for thousands of casualties that the
quake-prone country has suffered in recent years.

 

[suziwong]

Thank you very much Amos for this information and thank you for your attention !! Thank you very much to all for you prayers !!

stopped the rescue works today !! I am very sad for this !! too bad !! may be too many children dead of course we don't know the real number!! we will see soon !!

in oneness

 

[Catlady]

Suzi,
Glad your safe dear, My prayers are with you all.

 

[Lotussan]

Yes Suzi, Glad you are safe!
I heard about all those poor children who were trapped in the school, that is very tragic, and makes me so sad...I hope the others make it out safe and sound, I am praying for them...

 

[kickingbird]

Suzi-

Am glad to hear you are OK!!! I follow seismic activity every day on the USGS website. They have a worldwide earthquake page that shows all the latest quakes and their magnitudes. Turkey has a lot of seismic activity! There have actually been a few small-moderate quakes near here - along the New Madrid fault system. It is a dangerous fault system, and if there is ever a big shift, there could be catastrophic damage to cities like St. Louis.

Anyway, hang in there Suzi and be careful!
Sending hugs,
kickingbird

 

[suziwong]

Me too for you Kickingbird !! Yes Turkey is very seismic these days !!

Scientists are expecting a new earthquake for the coming 70 days in Marmara Sea of course in Istanbul !! We don't know but they said approx.7.6 mag. and may be 1.5 minute !! If it happens Istanbul will be totally down !! Too bad. We are afraid !! I hope they are wrong !!
God Bless,
in oneness