Earthquake in Turkey & Greece
A massive shallow earthquake measuring 7.0 at the United States Geological Survey’s Richter Scale struck Turkey and Greece at 1:51 PM Greek Time on Friday, October 30th, 2020.
The earthquake had an epicenter that was only 21 kilometers (13 miles) deep and thus caused more damage and had a larger impact at the ground level. The origin of the quake is located about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) northeast of the Greek Samos Island’s Néon Karlovásion town in the Aegean Sea. Up to 196 aftershocks were also recorded alongside the major destructive wave, 23 of which measured over the 4.0 magnitude mark.
As of October 31st, 2020 at 12:50 PM, 26 people have tragically been pronounced dead with 24 of them at Turkey’s western coast and the rest of the 2 at Samos in Greece, according to the reporting by CNN. Up to 804 people have been discovered injured in Turkey while more are being found in the two affected countries.
While relations between Greece and Turkey, and Turkey and France, have been strained recently, the heads of states have reached out for condolences to one another, extending their support during this difficult natural disaster. The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted reaching out to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan:
I just called President @RTErdogan to offer my condolences for the tragic loss of life from the earthquake that struck both our countries. Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) October 30, 2020
President Erdogan responded to Mitsotakis saying:
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) October 30, 2020
I offer my condolences to all of Greece on behalf of myself and the Turkish people. Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds.
That two neighbors show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life. https://t.co/eo6iClofKZ
Reaching out to the two affected countries, Interior Minister of France Gerald Darmanin tweeted his and France’s support, letting Turkey and Greece know that aid would is available if the affected so require it:
Un puissant séisme vient de toucher la Turquie et des îles grecques. La France se tient aux côté des peuples turc et grec pour faire face à cette terrible épreuve.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) October 30, 2020
Si les gouvernements de ces pays le souhaitent, des secours français peuvent être immédiatement acheminés sur place.
Despite their differences, the three states are attempting to be as supporting and cordial as possible during this tragic time. Whether or not the French president offers and extends his support and aid for either country is yet to be determined considering that his last few tweets are entirely about the terrorist attacks in France following the French history teacher’s beheading, the student’s fatal shooting by the police, and the accompanying events.
Stay tuned with Media Quotient Inc. for more updates on the earthquake and situation in Turkey and Greece.
Credit: Google Maps
