Today in History: Earthquake kills thousands, causes billions in damage
Thousands were killed by the earthquake as they lay in their beds, asleep.
An earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter Scale struck Izmit, Turkey, in 1999, killing thousands and causing damage to the tune of billions of dollars.
Izmit is the administrative centre of the Kocaeli Province in northwestern Turkey, and houses a third of the population of Kocaeli. The earthquake struck just after 3am, when the majority of the city of Izmit was asleep.
The epicentre of the earthquake was traced to Izmit, which is located 96km from Istanbul on the North Anatolian fault line. Thousands were killed instantly as their homes collapsed on them while they were in bed.
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 totalled $6,5 billion, making it one of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th century.
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