MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2020) Turkish Red Crescent emergency teams have been urgently deployed to the Izmir province following a powerful and destructive earthquake that struck off Turkey's Aegean coast earlier on Friday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said.
Earlier in the day, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency reported a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in western Turkey, the epicenter of which was in the area of the city of Seferihisar in Izmir province. The earthquake was felt on the nearby Greek islands. At least six people were killed and 20 buildings were destroyed by the disaster.
"It was a very big earthquake, bigger than anything I have felt before in Izmir. There are many collapsed buildings and sirens going off - and traffic is bad as everyone is trying to escape the city center. When the earthquake happened, everyone ran out of their apartments and there are many people still on the streets," Elif Isik, an aid worker with the IFRC in Izmir said, as quoted in the press release.
According to the authorities, at least 202 people were injured, including 79 extracted from under the debris. Search and rescue operations continue.
