A powerful earthquake rocked western Turkey today, killing at least 42 people and injuring 150 more as scores of buildings collapsed, sending terrified residents fleeing into the streets.
The trembler, which measured 6.0 on the Richter scale and was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, was the deadliest since the devastating quakes in Turkey's industrial heartland in 1999 which killed 20,000 people.
More than 150 buildings collapsed, sending people jumped from balconies and windows in panic, after the quake at hit at around 3 a.m., with its epicentre near the town of Bolvadin, 300 km southwest of the capital Ankara.
At least 11 people were still trapped under debris in the nearby town of Sultandagi, where most of the victims perished. Search and rescue teams were sifting through the rubble in the hope of finding survivors.
Seismologists warned that without tougher building standards, Turkey, which is criss-crossed by faultiness, could face an even greater tragedy.
Lax building standards were blamed for many of the deaths in the two quakes in northwestern Turkey in August and November 1999 which measured 7.4 and 7.2 on the Richter scale.
Prime Minister Mr Bulent Ecevit, who flew to the region with several other ministers, sought to soothe residents' fears.
"The state is taking all necessary measures and is meeting all needs. The state is doing its best," he said in Bolvadin.
After being caught hopelessly unprepared for the 1999 quakes, authorities today immediately dispatched rescue teams and humanitarian supplies to the region.
Today’s quake was felt hundreds of kilometres away in northwestern and central Turkey, where at least seven people were reported injured after jumping in fear from buildings.
The main tremor was followed by a number of aftershocks, the most powerful of which hit about two hours later with a magnitude of 5.3.
AFP