Energy released by Türkiye's twin quakes '130 times stronger' than 2016 Italy quake: Scientist

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) – The energy released by twin earthquakes that hit the 10 southern provinces of Türkiye was 130 times stronger than the one that occurred in Italy in 2016, a prominent Italian scientist said.

Speaking to Anadolu, Carlo Doglioni, head of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), reiterated that the Anatolian plate might have moved around 3 meters as a result of the first earthquake.

However, he said, the second earthquake that occurred on Monday at noon, should have moved the plate further.

"There has been an energy accumulation that has been going on for decades where the earthquake happened. It couldn’t hold the energy any longer while the Anatolian plate continued to move in the southwest direction. Consequently, the accumulated energy was released," Doglioni explained.

We will know the certain figure once we have the satellite data, he added.

When asked whether a new earthquake in the same region is possible, he said this likelihood should not be overlooked as “nature can always surprise us.”

At least 12,873 people were killed and 62,937 others were injured by two strong earthquakes which jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country's disaster agency AFAD said on Wednesday night.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

More than 113,200 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, AFAD noted.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk