Key infrastructure was damaged, as scores of lives were lost to the tremor
© Twitter @Lerpc75
A powerful earthquake on Monday morning has caused damage to natural gas pipelines in Türkiye, the state energy company BOTAS has confirmed. Videos circulating online show massive plumes of flame erupting into the air.
The 7.4-magnitude quake killed scores of people and caused significant damage, according to Turkish officials.
BOTAS cut supply in the wake of the tremor, but a rupture in the Kilis province is being fed by the gas inside the pipeline, it said.
Videos purportedly shot on the scene show massive plumes of fire rising high into the sky in at least two locations.
🇹🇷#Earthquake in #Turkey.#Hatay: "Natural gas pipelines in Amik plain in Hatay burst with the force of the earthquake. Fire spread to the fields." pic.twitter.com/POyQWaRavS
— Lenar (@Lerpc75) February 6, 2023
Footage of an explosion on a gas pipeline in Hatay province. pic.twitter.com/A0eZW9Zb7g
— Sprinter'BV (@SprinterBV0000) February 6, 2023
Due to the Earthquake a Gas Pipeline near the City of Kahramanmaraş in Southern Turkey has reportedly Exploded and is burning out of control with Emergency Services completely overwhelmed with Rescue Operations. pic.twitter.com/FnvZ3i1hEp
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 6, 2023
The quake hit at around 4am local time in central Türkiye. Vice President Fuat Oktay reported that it killed over 280 people and destroyed at least 1,710 buildings in the provinces of Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.