7.2 magnitude shallow earthquake strikes Eastern Turkey- 279 killed

October 23, 2011 – TURKEY – A 7.2 earthquake hit eastern Turkey today where at least two buildings collapsed in the city of Van, near the Iranian border, authorities said. “Two buildings collapsed in Van, but the telephone system is jammed due to panic and we can’t assess the entire damage immediately,” Van Mayor Bekir Kaya, told NTV television, according to the Associated Press. The quake struck the region at 1:41 p.m. local time. The quake was upgraded from a 6.6 to 7.3 magnitude. The U.S. Geological Survey later revised the magnitude to 7.2. Its depth was considered shallow – 20 km or 12.4 miles — shallower than the January 2010 Haiti quake. State-run media reported rescue crews were working to free people were trapped under the a seven-story building that collapsed. Residents of Van and neighboring towns poured into the streets as several strong aftershocks rock the area. There are many people under the rubble,” Mayor of the district of Celebibag Veysel Keser told NTV, the Associated Press reported. “People are in agony, we can hear their screams for help. We need urgent help.” it is unclear the number of injuries were sustained or deaths have occurred due to the earthquake. –ABC News

Alpide Belt stress eruption: The earthquake in eastern Turkey is part of the stress I warned about on the Alpide Belt in previous posts. The Alpide belt is being created by ongoing plate tectonics, namely the process of collision between the northward-moving African, Arabian and Indian plates and the Eurasian plate. The USGS says: “The next most seismic region outside the Ring of Fire is the Alpide belt extends from Mediterranean region, eastward through Turkey, Iran, and northern India.” –The Extinction Protocol