45 seconds: 1999 earthquake in turkey
it was 03.02 when an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the richter scale hit northwestern turkey, home to one-third of the country’s population and half its industry on 17 august 1999. the epicenter of the earthquake was kocaeli, located nearly 100 kilometers from istanbul.
the quake came at the at a time that people were at home in their beds, and thousands were killed as their homes collapsed on them. thousands more died of injuries, suffocation, dehydration, or exhaustion as rescue crews scrambled to pull them from the rubble. all told, more than 17,000 people were killed and damages totaled $6.5 billion, making it one of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th century.
