More than 20,000 people are now known to have been killed and thousands injured by a huge earthquake which struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, in the early hours of Monday morning.
The first earthquake registered as 7.8, which is classified as “major” on the official magnitude scale. It broke along about 100km of fault line, causing serious damage to buildings near the fault.
This incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, when people were inside and sleeping, causing more devastation. The earthquake was closely followed by numerous aftershocks – including one quake which was almost as large as the first.
Fears are now also rising for the survivors, as aid agencies warn that new snowfall, as well as a lack of water, communications and power, could cause a deadly “secondary disaster.” The number of days that have passed since the incident is reason to expect the death toll to keep rising.
So far, no Kenyan has been found injured or dead.
Tens of thousands more have been reported injured in both countries, as rescue workers struggle to locate survivors in the rubble of fallen buildings amid a cold winter blast. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has admitted to shortcomings over the state’s response to the disaster but insisted the situation is now under control.
The earthquake was caused by plates that make up the earth’s crust. These plates often try to move but are stopped by friction. When the pressure builds up, one plate jerks up and causes the surface move. In this case it was the Arabian plate moving northwards and grinding against the Anatolian plate.
BY NKATHA WAINAINA