Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) confirmed in the last few hours that an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale occurred in the province of Tokat, in northern Turkey. The earthquake, which was also felt in other provinces such as Samsun, Çorum, Amasya and Sinop, caused no casualties but did damage several buildings. It occurred just four days after another earthquake in Denizli, in the west of the country, reached a magnitude of 5.1.
According to data published on the official AFAD website, the seismic movement was recorded at 03:35 in the morning (01:35 CET) with its epicentre in the district of Niksar, as reported by the Turkish news portal Habertürk. Numerous residents in several districts of Tokat took to the streets in the early hours of the morning after feeling the tremor, which was also recorded by security cameras.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of only 6.37 kilometres, thus increasing the intensity of its effects, and was strongly felt in several provinces in northern Türkiye. The mayor of Niksar, Semih Tepebaşı, stressed that the tremor had been felt very strongly in the region but assured that there were no casualties: “Safe meeting points have been established. So far, we have not received any reports of serious problems. I advise our citizens to wait in safe areas and not to panic. We will continue to provide information as we receive it from the relevant authorities,” he said.
According to the latest information, the quake caused plasterboard to fall in some buildings and false ceilings to collapse. A secondary school also reported cracks and plaster falling from its walls. On the other hand, although there are no reports of serious injuries or deaths, there were several cases of people going to hospital with anxiety attacks, while some young people staying in student residences suffered minor injuries due to panic.
Turkey’s Minister of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, also confirmed that no serious consequences had been detected following the earthquake and announced that teams are carrying out damage assessment work on the ground, based on the reports received. For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Mustafa Çiftçi, indicated that there were no reports of casualties following the earthquake, although the authorities decided to suspend classes throughout the province of Tokat for the day “as a precautionary measure”.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
