A family in Golcuk escapes with their baby into the streets

September 13, 1999
Web posted at: 12:49 p.m. EDT (1649 GMT)

In this story: Victims crushed under rubble, inside car Strong aftershock 'had been expected' RELATED STORIES, SITES

IZMIT, Turkey -- A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Turkey on Monday, killing at least six and injuring more than 200 in a region shattered by a deadly quake last month, Turkish officials said.

The tremor sent thousands rushing for open ground. Most of the injured suffered broken bones as they jumped from buildings.

"I am worried people who were already very jittery are now panicking," the Anatolian news agency quoted President Suleyman Demirel as saying.

Six people died under falling masonry and rubble, three of them crushed inside a vehicle in the town of Golcuk and another three in the nearby city of Izmit, capital of Kocaeli province, according to Anatolian.

One woman suffered a fatal heart attack in the town of Adapazari, which was also hit hard in last month's quake.

A collapsed building in Golcuk

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said 239 had been injured in Monday's tremor. Rescue teams were rushing to the region to search for people possibly trapped under the rubble, he said. Ecevit said 15 buildings in Izmit and seven in Golcuk collapsed.

Scores of terrified residents were injured when they leaped from windows and balconies, fearing that their shaking buildings would collapse.

Telephone communications with the region were badly damaged, making assessment of casualties or damage difficult.

Television pictures taken in Golcuk showed residents running through the streets in panic after the quake struck at about 3 p.m. (1200 GMT).

Streets and parks in towns throughout the region were filled with nervous residents unwilling to return to offices or homes.

A massive earthquake August 17 killed more than 14,000 and left many buildings uninhabitable. Thousands of families in the region have been living in tent cities in fields.

Monday's earthquake was also felt in Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul.

"We were on the fourth floor and it really shook. Everyone rushed out of the building straight away. I was really scared," said Zeynep Peker, an office worker in the city.

It was the strongest aftershock since the 7.8-magnitude quake in August. Like last month's quake, Monday's tremor was reportedly centered near Izmit, 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Istanbul.

"It was the strong aftershock which had been expected," said Aykut Barka, professor of geology at Istanbul Technical University.

Ecevit, who suspended classes in the region of Monday's quake, urged citizens to remain calm: "These aftershocks may continue and I hope they will not be as violent as the one today. We will have to learn to live with them."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.