UAE expresses full solidarity with Turkey after 6.2-magnitude quake
The UAE has expressed on Friday its full solidarity with Turkey following the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the Sea of Marmara and affected areas of Istanbul on April 23, resulting in dozens of injuries.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the UAE’s support for Turkey and its friendly people during these circumstances, expressing its wishes for a speedy recovery for all those injured.
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 12:49 (0949 GMT) was in the area of Silivri, some 80 km (50 miles) to the west of Istanbul. It was at a depth of 6.92 km (4.3 miles), Turkey’s AFAD disaster agency said.
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More than 50 aftershocks rocked the Istanbul region after the powerful shake.
Istanbul governor Davut Gul said nobody had died in the quake or the aftershocks but confirmed that hospitals were treating “151 people injured when they jumped or tried to jump from a height in panic”.
The injuries were not life-threatening, he added.
The tremors could be felt in all of the provinces surrounding the Sea of Marmara, in northeastern Greece and three Greek islands off Turkey’s western coastline, and as far away as the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, according to officials.
Many Istanbul residents are still haunted by memories of the last “Big One” that struck part of the city in 1999.
Around 20,000 people were killed in two massive quakes that devastated Turkey’s densely populated northwest — including parts of Istanbul — three months apart in 1999 as the eastern strand of the fault line ruptured.
Seismologists have calculated a 47-per cent chance of an earthquake with a magnitude above 7.3 hitting Istanbul within 30 years.
The last tremor to be felt in Istanbul was in mid November, when a quake caused brief panic but no damage or injuries.
(With inputs from AFP)
