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Earthquake in Turkey 23.11.2011 زلزال في تركيا
Earthquake in Turkey 23.11.2011 زلزال في تركيا Powerful earthquake shakes eastern Turkey ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck eastern Turkey Sunday, collapsing some buildings and causing a number of deaths, officials said. At least 50 people were injured. The temblor struck eastern Van province at 6:41 am ET, the US Geological Survey said. It caused widespread panic throughout the province as well as neighboring cities. "The quake was strongly felt in Van and neighboring towns, and caused damage and deaths based on initial assessments," the prime minister's office said. The earthquake toppled some buildings in downtown Van as well as the neighboring town of Ercis, officials said. Several strong aftershocks also were reported. "There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction," Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, told NTV television. "We need urgent aid. We need medics." NTV also said Van's airport was damaged and planes were being diverted to neighboring cities. Terrified residents spilled into the streets in panic as rescue workers and residents using their bare hands and shovels struggled to evacuate people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings, television footage showed. In Van, at least two buildings collapsed, Bekir Kaya, the mayor of Van town, told NTV. One of them was a seven-story building, according to Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency. At least 50 people were treated for injuries in the courtyard of <b>...</b>
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