Earthquake Field Drill Conducted in Bingöl

An “Earthquake Field Drill” was carried out in Bingöl by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) within the scope of the Turkey Disaster Plan.

According to the scenario, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Karlıova district of Bingöl at 00.15. The earthquake was felt throughout the city as well as in Erzurum, Erzincan, Elazığ, Diyarbakır, Tunceli and Muş, causing destruction.

Following the earthquake, a crisis desk was established at the Provincial Disaster Coordination Center under the chairmanship of Bingöl Governor Ahmet Hamdi Usta, and teams from AFAD, UMKE, gendarmerie, police, fire department, Red Crescent and non-governmental organizations were directed to the earthquake area.

With the support of teams from outside the city, search and rescue efforts began in the areas where the destruction took place. The teams pulled bodies from the rubble and transported the injured by ambulance to the Field Hospital, located on the site of the former Maternity and Child Diseases Hospital.

Relatives of those whose bodies were pulled from the rubble during the drill felt unwell, and medical teams treated them.

Governor Usta, in his statement at the rubble of the old Maternity and Child Diseases Hospital building, said that Bingöl is on Turkey’s agenda in terms of earthquakes.

Stating that scientists, academics, geologists and seismologists are talking about the possible earthquake that could occur in the Karlıova and Yedisu districts of Bingöl, Usta said:

“Bingöl is an earthquake zone. The important thing is to minimize the effects of the earthquake and be prepared. We spoke with our AFAD Presidency and requested that one of the two regional drills be held in Bingöl. In our drill, we experienced an earthquake disaster centered in the Karlıova Hacılar village of Bingöl. We took our place at the center with service groups. We contacted our AFAD Presidency here. When it became clear that it affected Elazığ, Tunceli, Erzincan, Diyarbakır, Muş and Erzurum, which were the first provinces to come to Bingöl for assistance, we requested assistance from other provinces outside these provinces.”

Stating that AFAD teams came from Van to the city center, from Samsun to Adaklı, from Mardin to Genç, from Rize to Karlıova, from Siirt to Kiğı, from Batman to Solhan, from Amasya to Yayladere, and from Sivas to Yedisu, according to the scenario, Usta said, “We are also conducting drills in the field to experience all dimensions of the disaster. We also have studies on different types of disasters.”

The Master continued:

“We saw this in the exercise, how long it takes for the support provinces to reach us, can they take their places, did our officers reach their places on time with the warning, did they do their jobs, we tested these. Except for a few minor deficiencies, our exercise is continuing very well. We have also received messages from our Minister Ali Yerlikaya on this subject. We will continue until the evening.”

Usta stated that they think that people in Bingöl will overcome the devastating effects of a possible earthquake with the least damage thanks to their common sense, experience and the adequacy of the building stock, and noted that they received help from distant provinces in addition to the provinces affected by the disaster during the drill.

Governor Usta thanked all the teams that took part in the exercise.

Disaster Response Services General Manager Dr. Sadi Ergin, AFAD Provincial Director Atilla Uzun and institution managers also took part in the drill.