1. GENERAL SITUATION
The Turkish Red Crescent, immediately after having been informed of the disaster, alarmed all its units over the country and established its Crisis Management Desks in the Disaster Management Center (HQ) (Ankara), the Northern Anatolia (Erzurum), the South-eastern Anatolia (Elazığ), the Eastern Anatolia (Muş), the Mediterranean (Adana), and the Eagan (İzmir) Regional Disaster Management Centres and Sivas and Diyarbakir Local Disaster Management Centres.
On 23 October 2011, after the earthquake that struck at 13:41 at the magnitude of 7.2, for the assessment of the situation, Rapid Teams have been deployed to the field, from the Van, Elazığ, Muş and Erzurum Disaster Management Centres and Turkish Red Crescent Branches. Information flow from the field has been gathered in the Crisis Desk of the Disaster Operation Center.
On the other hand, after the second earthquake occurred in Van district, Edremit County on 9 November 2011 at 21.25 with the magnitude of 5.6, each the Turkish Red Crescent unit in the area have carried out its activities both in Erciş and Van district.
In accordance with the statement made by the Prime Ministry Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management;
- In the first earthquake at the magnitude of 7.2 dated 23 October 2011, 604 people lost their lives and as a result of the search and rescue activities, 222 people have rescued from ruins.
- In the second earthquake at the magnitude of 5.6 dated 9 November 2011, 40 people lost their lives and as a result of the search and rescue activities, 30 people have rescued from ruins as well.
Immediately after both earthquakes around Van, 644 people lost their lives; hundreds of people injured and totally 650.000 citizens were directly affected by the earthquake.