At least 138 people were killed and about 350 were injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a news conference early Monday. The death toll was expected to rise, perhaps significantly, with many people reported to be stuck beneath dozens of collapsed buildings.
The earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 7.2 by the Turkish seismic institute, occurred in the early afternoon on Sunday in Van Province, not far from the border with Iran. It was centered near the city of Van and the nearby town of Ercis, and it was felt strongly in nearby villages and some parts of northern Iraq, the semiofficial Anatolian News Agency reported.
We are in deep grieve as The Turkish-American Community in Chicagoland area with this earthquake and our prayers will be with the people who were affected by this catastrophe. Niagara Foundation and Turkish American Society of Chicago jointly set up a Relief Fund for those who would want to join us in extending our help to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey.
Please click on the link to donate: