99/11/12 16:57:20 40.77N 31.15E 10.0 7.2Mw TURKEY

The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A major earthquake occurred 45 miles (70 km) east of Adapazari or 105 miles (170 km) northwest of Ankara, Turkey. at 10:57 AM MDT today, Nov 12, 1999 (6:57 PM local time in Turkey). A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.2 WAS COMPUTED FOR THIS EARTHQUAKE. The magnitude and location may change slightly as additional data are received from other seismograph stations. This earthquake is located about 70 miles (110 km) east of the magnitude 7.4 mainshock on August 17 which killed over 17,000 people and injured another 50,000. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time for today's earthquake. However, this earthquake may have caused substantial damage and casualties due to its location and size.

AP stories

17 Dead, 500 Hurt in Turkey Quake

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A strong earthquake rocked western Turkey today, collapsing buildings, setting off fires and killing at least 17 people, officials said. Hundreds were reported injured. The magnitude-7.2 quake was centered on the town of Duzce, some 115 miles east of Istanbul, said Ahmet Mete Isikara, head of Istanbul's Kandilli Observatory.

17 Dead, Many Hurt in Turkey Quake

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A strong earthquake rocked western Turkey today, collapsing buildings, setting off fires and killing at least 17 people, officials said. Hundreds were reported injured. The magnitude-7.2 quake was centered on the town of Duzce, some 115 miles east of Istanbul, said Ahmet Mete Isikara, head of Istanbul's Kandilli Observatory. The temblor struck the region that was hit by the magnitude-7.4 quake of Aug. 17, although not one of the areas that was devastated. The earlier quake killed at least 17,000 people. ``We are face-to-face with a new disaster,'' said President Suleyman Demirel. We understand that some of our people have lost their lives, and that otherswere injured... . I hope that our losses will not be great.'' Seventeen people were killed in the quake, the Anatolia news agency quoted

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit as saying. ``There are a lot of people injured. We fear that many people are trapped under rubble,'' he said. In Duzce, 500 people were rushed to the hospital, where doctors worked in the garden after the building was evacuated because of quake damage. Sadettin Cakmakoglu, a doctor, said the hospital was in urgent need of pain killers and medicine. ``I am calling out S.O.S. for Duzce,'' Anatolia quoted him as saying. In nearby Bolu, the quake set off explosions in buildings, which triggered fires, the town's police chief, Ugur Gur, said. He said the road to Istanbul was torn apart and called for urgent medical aid from capital, Ankara, some 160 miles to the east.

Buildings in Istanbul and Ankara shook as though they were made of rubber. In Adapazari, which was virtually leveled by the Aug. 17 earthquake, terrified residents leaped from their shaking buildings, said Cahit Kirac, the town governor. Adapazari is 40 miles from Duzce. The quake, which struck at 6:57 p.m., was followed by at least five aftershocks magnitudes greater than 5, Isikara said. It was the second quake in as many days. On Thursday, a magnitude-5.7 aftershock killed one person and injured 171, with most of the casualties in Adapazari. That aftershock was centered in the area of western Turkey that is still recovering from the Aug. 17 earthquake. Turkey is preparing to play host to delegations from 54 countries for a Nov. 18-19 summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. President Clinton is expected to arrive in Turkey on Sunday.

Strong Quake Rocks Western Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A strong earthquake rocked western Turkey today, collapsing buildings, setting off explosions and injuring hundreds of people, Turkey's private NTV television reported. The 6.5-magnitude quake, the second temblor in Turkey in as many days, was centered on the town of Duzce, some 115 miles east of Istanbul. In Duzce, so many people were injured that casualties had to be treated in the garden of the hospital, NTV reported. Buildings in Istanbul and Ankara shook as though they were made of rubber.

Turkey Quake Sparks Fires, Kills 3

By LOUIS MEIXLER Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A strong earthquake rocked western Turkey today, collapsing buildings, setting off fires and killing at least three people, officials said. Hundreds were reportedly injured.

The magnitude-7.2 quake was centered on the town of Duzce, some 115 miles east of Istanbul, said Ahmet Mete Isikara, head of Istanbul's Kandilli Observatory. The temblor struck in the region that was devastated by the magnitude-7.4 17,000 people. ``We are face-to-face with a new disaster,'' said President Suleyman Demirel. ``We understand that some of our people have lost their lives, and that others were injured.... I hope that our losses will not be great.''

At least two people were killed in the nearby town of Adapazari, officials said.

One man died of a heart attack in the seaside community of Yalova, said Yalova governor Nihat Ozgol. In Duzce, so many people were injured that casualties had to be treated in the garden of the local hospital, Turkey's private NTV television reported. The government was rushing rescue teams to Duzce, where several buildings had collapsed, State Minister Hasan Gemici said. In nearby Bolu, the quake set off explosions in buildings, which triggered fires, the town's police chief, Ugur Gur, said.

He said the road to Istanbul was torn apart and called for urgent medical aid from the capital, Ankara, some 160 miles to the east. Buildings in Istanbul and Ankara shook as though they were made of rubber. In Adapazari, which was virtually leveled by the Aug. 17 earthquake, terrified residents leaped from their shaking buildings, said Cahit Kirac, the town governor. Adapazari is 40 miles from Duzce. The quake, which struck at 6:57 p.m., was followed by at least five aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5, Isikara said.

It was the second quake in as many days. On Thursday, a magnitude-5.7 aftershock killed one person and injured 171, with most of the casualties in Adapazari. That aftershock was centered in the area of western Turkey that is still recovering from the Aug. 17 earthquake. Turkey is preparing to play host to delegations from 54 countries for a Nov. 18-19 summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. President Clinton is expected to arrive in Turkey on Sunday.