Devastating earthquake hits eastern Turkey

Earlier this morning a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey. The death toll stands at 138, with the majority of the deaths occuring in Van. In addition to the deaths there are at least 350 injured in the wake of the quake. Experts say this quake is the most powerful in more than a decade. Almost 100 buildings were destroyed in the quake including many homes/buildings around the lake. Additionally a student dormitory was destroyed resulting in many injuries. Rescue teams have already been deployed to dig through the rubble in search of survivors. A crisis center has been created in the country's capital Ankara. Concerns in the aftermath of the quake are the drastic search for survivors and possible flooding due to the displacement of Lake Van. Turkey has a fairly good response time for earthquakes. The structural integrity of some of the buildings in the rural areas of the country was one of the causes to the loss of life from this quake. Had the quake struck earlier in the day there could have been more injuries as people could have been sleeping in the homes that collapsed.


Location of the earthquake.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/23/turkey-earthquake-up-to-1000-feared-dead
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/23/world/europe/turkey-earthquake/?hpt=wo_c2