There have been no Indonesian casualties in the 6.6-magnitude earthquake which rocked the city of Izmir on the Turkish Aegean on Friday, the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara has confirmed.
"We have so far not received reports of any Indonesian citizen getting affected by the catastrophe," Citizen Protection Task Force coordinator at the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Harliyanto, said in a statement that ANTARA received here on Saturday.
The Indonesian authorities at the embassy and the task force are coordinating with those from the clusters of Indonesian communities in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that, as of early Saturday, has reportedly left 25 people dead and 804 others injured.
Tremors from the earthquake, which triggered a partial tsunami in the coastal district of Seferihisar, could be felt by residents in several other Turkish cities, including Istanbul, some 400 km away from the quake's epicenter.
Several buildings collapsed or were damaged in the city center of Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city after Istanbul and Ankara, in the earthquake, said Harliyanto.
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The quake also affected several other provinces, including Usak, Denizli, Manisa, Balikesir, Aydin, and Mugla. Ninety-eight Indonesians are currently residing in Izmir and its outskirts, according to the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara.
Turkey is home to about five thousand Indonesian citizens, including 2,700 students and 1,500 workers employed at spas.
The Indonesian Embassy has launched a hotline (+90 532 135 22 98) to help Indonesian citizens in need.
Meanwhile, citing data from the Turkish Disaster Management Agency Authority (AFAD), the Anadolu Agency reported that the earthquake has claimed 25 lives and left at least 804 persons injured as of early Saturday.
At least 743 persons have been injured in Izmir and neighboring provinces, five in Manisa, two in Balikesir, and 54 in Aydin, according to the Turkish news agency.
The 6.6-magnitude earthquake also rattled areas northwest of the Greek Island of Samos in the Aegean Sea, and left two children dead.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have exchanged condolences over the loss of lives in the earthquake that struck the two countries, the Anadolu Agency reported.
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Editor : Mahdani
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