Some horrific footage coming up on Twitter. The scale and strength of this earthquake seems almost unnatural.

It does seem cataclysmic, CP, but if you don't or can't conform to good construction practice this kind of disaster does happen. We lived on the side of a volcano for a few years and our doors would pop open spookily when there were quakes. Frequently! Local buildings were all single story and modern concrete block buildings had "ring beams" to allow them to flex and hold together.
Tip for the day: If you wake up realising there's an earthquake happening - put on your shoes before you do anything else. You may need to get out fast and you won't do that running and jumping barefoot over glass and rubble. Those few seconds might save your life.
Roger

p.s. I've just sent a donation to the DEC. I worked for one of the member organisations and alongside Oxfam, Save the Children and Concern too.
https://www.dec.org.uk/ 

---

Mad

---

This story follows on from your stunning image, Saint.
I find the earthquake disaster a disheartening and heartbreaking counterpoint to the continuing appalling situation in Ukraine. [One that fellow humans, not natural processes, have caused.] 😱 Mad indeed!

Turkey earthquake fault lines mapped from space
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64603521 

---

At the risk of intruding politics here, the BBC reports that Erdogan was courting disaster by declaring an amnesty in2019 for having infringed building codes, and then reducing the army's role in rescue operations.

---

At the risk of intruding politics here, the BBC reports that Erdogan was courting disaster by declaring an amnesty in2019 for having infringed building codes, and then reducing the army's role in rescue operations.

Ah - the missing "human factor", DEW? Pilfering or  "stretching" cement in mixes are common scams. We shall soon know if that is part of the problem - though I suspect the best of builds would have had trouble with such a quake. 😬

---

Update on fatalities:
"The death toll in Turkey and Syria from the quake has surpassed 28,000, and hope of finding many more survivors is fading despite some miraculous rescues. German rescuers and the Austrian army paused search operations on Saturday, citing clashes between unnamed groups."

Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll passes 28,000 as rescue hopes dwindle
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64608535 

---

Shutting stable door after the horse has bolted?
"Officials in Turkey say 113 arrest warrants have been issued in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed in Monday's earthquake. Turkish police have already taken at least 12 people into custody, including building contractors."

Wot? No politicians or government apparatchiks?


Turkey issues 113 arrest warrants connected to building construction
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64615349 

---

Another earthquake has just hit SE Turkey. Currently magnitude 6.4 with the epicentre 3 km west of Uzunbağ

I had not picked up on this Independent story earlier. You may find it of interest:

"A devastating earthquake that toppled buildings across parts of Turkey and neighboring Syria has revived a longstanding debate locally and in neighboring Cyprus about a large nuclear power station being built on Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coastline..."

Turkey quake revives debate over nuclear plant being built
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/turkey-ap-rosatom-cyprus-nicosia-b2283389.html 

---

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has hit the Hindukush region of Afghanistan, with tremors felt in Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and China.

Not exactly an earthquake, but the next best thing

Massive Swiss rockfall stops short of evacuated village of Brienz
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65926381 

---

It popped up in a headline somewhere about France having an earthquake so I thought I'd investiate further and found this article:

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230617-rare-5-8-magnitude-earthquake-hits-large-parts-of-western-france 

---

Google claims that its Android phones working on a crowd-source basis can detect the small tremors which occur a few seconds before an earthquake and might just give time to e.g. run out of a building.

All smartphones contain tiny accelerometers that can sense vibrations and speed, signals that indicate an earthquake might be happening. If the phone detects something that it thinks may be an earthquake, it sends a signal to our earthquake detection server, along with a coarse location of where the shaking occurred. The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening. 

https://crisisresponse.google/android-alerts/ 

The trouble is that the BBC couldn't find anyone in Turkey who had actually received the warning earlier this year. Did people not realise and not switch it on? Or is it only top-of-the-range phones that have this facility (Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy mentioned),i.e. models less sold outside affluent California? My bottom-of-the-range Doro, although powered by Android doesn't have an 'Earthquake Alert' option in the 'Settings' menus.

---