Azernews.Az

ANKARA – Panic-stricken residents in the town of Simav in western Turkey’s Kütahya province are reported to be leaving the area in buses and private vehicles after an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale shook the town at 11:15 p.m. Thursday. The quake was also felt across much of western Turkey where many citizens temporarily poured out onto the streets, AFP reported.

The earthquake killed at least two people and injured around some 125 and was followed by hundreds of small aftershocks that lasted into Friday. Rescue personnel and aid workers have been rushing to the province, while hundreds have reportedly been left homeless and several buildings damaged or cracked, the Anatolian news agency reported.

One person was reportedly killed when a concrete pillar fell on his head, while another died of a heart attack.

"Aftershocks are continuing at diminishing magnitudes. After the [initial] 5.7 magnitude quake, there were quite a number of earthquakes below 5.0, but the statistical average of the quakes are gradually falling. That means that the quake at 23:15 [on Thursday] was the main quake. For that reason we are not expecting a stronger earthquake, but there could still be many more below a magnitude of 5.0," said Professor Ali Koçyiğit, a faculty member at Middle Eastern Technical University and an earthquake expert at the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, while speaking at a press meeting organized by State Minister Cemil Çiçek on Friday. The main quake was caused by two fault lines and the largest earthquake that they could cause would be around 6.2 to 6.4, further added Koçyiğit. Different sources recorded the earthquake either at a magnitude of 5.7 or 5.9 and this was caused by a difference in the calculation methods, Koçyiğit said, according to the Anatolian news agency.

Earlier reports said the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.9, but later some sources put the figure at 6.7. Meanwhile, the website of U.S. Geological Survey also indicated that the earthquake’s magnitude was 6.0 and that the center of the tremor was about 75 kilometers from Kütahya. The largest aftershock that occurred after the quake had a magnitude of 4.6.

Meanwhile, the Red Crescent set up soup kitchens to feeds thousands of people who spent the night out in the open or in their cars, said Tekin Küçükali, the head of the relief organization. Turkish troops are also reportedly helping rescue workers to set up a tent city to provide temporary shelter for some 5,000 people in the vicinity of Leylekkürü.

Minister of Environment Veysel Eroğlu claimed all necessary precautions were taken concerning a damaged silver mine dam in the province that partially collapsed earlier this month and was threatening to leak cyanide. The minister said the situation had been checked again after the earthquake and there was no danger at the moment.

Eroglu also accused substandard construction for the partial collapse of some buildings in the area. The quake damaged some buildings, sending terrified residents into the streets and triggering an exodus by university students, according to the Associated Press.

The leader of the opposition CHP, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will also be visiting the disaster stricken area, according to reports.

"Simav is the earthquake’s epicenter according to the latest news. This region contains the Simav fault line. This fault line has produced earthquakes in the past as well... Would this affect the Marmara fault line? No such relationship exists; we are not expecting that. Could there be a larger quake? We are not expecting that either," said Naci Görür, a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University, who spoke on private TV channel CNNTürk.

A 5.9-magnitude quake is normally considered moderate but can cause damage in Turkey due to substandard home construction. Turkey is earthquake-prone due to being crossed by several geological fault lines. An earthquake in Kutahya province in 1970 killed more than 1,000 people. In 1999, two strong quakes in the heavily populated and industrialized regions of northwest Turkey left some 20,000 dead. Experts say the Istanbul region is threatened by a strong quake.