Earthquake

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, on Wednesday, prompting widespread panic as residents rushed out of buildings and gathered on the streets.

Authorities confirmed that no casualties or major damage had been recorded, although several aftershocks followed the main tremor.

The Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, reported that the quake struck at 12:49 p.m. local time (0949 GMT) at a depth of nearly seven kilometers beneath the sea, just south of the city.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated on social media, “An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Sea of Marmara, Istanbul,” noting that the tremor was also felt in neighboring provinces.

According to AFAD, the earthquake was succeeded by eight aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 3.5 to 5.9.

The sudden shaking of buildings led people to evacuate and seek safety in open spaces. An AFP reporter witnessed crowds anxiously checking their phones and calling loved ones.

“I just felt the earthquake, I’ve got to get out,” said a decorator who had been working on the fourth floor of an apartment near Galata Tower.

He declined to be identified.State-run Anadolu Agency shared footage showing the minaret of a mosque swaying during the initial tremor in the Beylikduzu district.

Speaking to TRT public television, Yerlikaya confirmed that no buildings had collapsed.

“Until now, nobody has called the emergency line to report their house collapsing,” he said.

However, the Istanbul governor’s office urged people to stay away from structures that appeared to be compromised.

Turkey’s NTV television aired visuals of a three-storey building that had collapsed in Fatih district.

The structure was said to be abandoned and unoccupied for about ten years.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to the incident by saying he was “following the developments closely.”

Yusuf, a street vendor, described the fear that gripped many residents. “We all panicked and just ran. There’s absolutely nothing else we can do,” he said.

The tremor was reportedly felt as far away as Bulgaria, according to AFP correspondents in Sofia.

Silivri, located on the western edge of Istanbul, is also home to the jail where Istanbul’s Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was recently detained amid a corruption case widely criticized as politically driven.

Students detained during related protests are also held there.Despite feeling the tremors, none of the detainees were harmed.

“The earthquake in Istanbul was most strongly felt in Silivri, but our children are fine. There is no problem at the prison—no parent should worry,” the Parents Solidarity Network posted on X.

Istanbul’s last significant earthquake occurred in November but caused no damage.

Experts have long warned that the city is at high risk of a major quake due to its location near the North Anatolian fault line, less than 20 kilometers away.

In 1999, over 20,000 people died when two massive quakes struck northwest Turkey, including areas of Istanbul, after the fault line ruptured.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Central Japan was struck by a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake on Monday, prompting urgent evacuations and tsunami warnings.

The Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture experienced a series of quakes, including a 7.6-magnitude tremor.

National broadcaster NHK and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued alerts, urging residents to move to higher ground. 

Confirmed tsunamis of 1.2 metres hit Wajima city, with a potential five-metre wave expected in Noto, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The US Geological Survey recorded multiple quakes, emphasising the severity of the seismic activity. 

Japan, with its strict construction standards, faces haunting memories of the 2011 disaster and ongoing seismic threats.

Despite emergency preparedness, the nation remains on edge, with the historical seismic vulnerability of Tokyo echoing a century-old earthquake in 1923.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A wedding celebration in Moroccan village saved a newly married couple and some of their relatives that attended the party from the Friday’s deadly earthquake.

The couple and their families were said to have been enjoying a traditional music in an outdoor courtyard when the traumatic incident occurred.

Our reporters learned that the newly married couple were identified as Habiba Ajdir, 22, and apple farmer Mohammed Boudad, 30.

The Daily Reality gathered that the earthquake had claimed the lives of  hundreds of innocent people and destroyed properties worth million of dollars.

It was reported that the marriage was due to take place at his village of Kettou on Saturday, but by custom, the bride’s family held a party the night before the wedding.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed greif over Morocon earthquake tradedy that claimed the lives of thousands of people and destroyed properties worth millions of dollars.

Buhari disclosed this Monday in a personal letter to King Muhammad the VI, the ruler of Morocco with whom he said he had a good working relationship while in office.

A statement, issued by Garba Shehu, explained that the letter, sent to the Royal Palace in Rabat in Morocco, was personally signed by the former President.

The former President said: “It is with a deep sense of sadness that I write on behalf of my family and myself to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to you and the people of the Kingdom of Morocco in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck your country on 8th September 2023.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of lives destruction of property caused by the earthquake. I stand in solidarity with Your Majesty and the people of Morocco in this difficult time and pray for the swift recovery of those who were affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and may Allah bring peace and solace to those affected.

“While extending, once again, my condolences, please accept, Your Majesty, the assurances of my highest consideration and esteem,” Buhari added.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Turkish officials reportedly issued arrest warrants or detained about 113 people who were allegedly involved in some illegal construction methods six days after earthquakes caused buildings to collapse and lost of many lives.

According to CNN, at least 12 people, including building contractors, have already been detained by Turkish authorities. Reports have it that rescue operations have been hampered in some areas due to protests in southern Turkey. More than 33,000 fatalities in Turkey and Syria have now been officially confirmed.

The arrests of building contractors, according to CNN on Monday, were perceived by many as a move by the Turkish government to shift full responsibility for the catastrophe.

According to findings before the natural disaster occurred, it was expected that the destroyed structures were built to withstand earthquakes. Since many new buildings in Turkey are unsafe because of widespread corruption and government practices, experts have been warning about this for years.

In order to promote a construction boom, including in earthquake-prone areas, those rules permitted so-called amnesties for contractors who flouted building regulations.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Over 1,200 people were killed, and nearly 3,000 were injured when an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale rocked Turkey and Syria.

Local media stated that the earthquake occurred close to the border between the two countries.

Millions of people in the two affected countries, including Israel and Lebanon, were startled from their beds, according to a Monday report by the New York Times.

The Aleppo, Hama, Tartus, and Latakia districts have so far reported 237 casualties, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.

Lebanon and Cyprus were also affected by the strong earthquake that struck at 4:17 a.m. near the Turkish city of Gaziantep at a depth of 17.9 km.

The 10 cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis were reportedly damaged, according to a statement to the media by Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

The Minister said at least 23 fatalities were recorded in the Malatya province, which is northeast of Gaziantep, while 17 fatalities were reported in Sanliurfa, which is in the east, and the remaining fatalities were reported in Diyarbakir and Osmaniye.

According to Xinhua news agency Ahmad Damiriyeh, Syria’s Deputy Minister of Health, general emergency preparations have been implemented for the affected districts, and private institutions have been instructed to accept all injured patients.