The ground beneath our feet is constantly shifting and shaking, and Monday was no different as a magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked southern Turkey. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake’s epicenter was located 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, and had a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles).
Gaziantep Gov. Davut Gul took to Twitter to advise the public to remain calm, telling them to wait outside their homes and not use their cars or crowd the main roads. His advice was echoed by journalist Eyad Kourdi, who lives in the city of Gaziantep and experienced up to eight “very strong” aftershocks in under a minute.
CNN meteorologists have warned that strong aftershocks are likely to continue in the hours and even days to come after an earthquake as powerful as this one. The main quake was followed by an aftershock of 6.7 magnitude about 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the epicenter, and another intense aftershock with a magnitude of 5.6 occurred 19 minutes after the main quake.
This is a breaking news story, and more is yet to come. In the meantime, it is important to remember to stay calm and adhere to the advice of local officials.
Source: www.cnn.com