The 2011 Van earthquake struck the province of Van in eastern Turkey, near the border with Iran, with a magnitude of 7.1. It was caused by thrust faulting related to the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates, which also shapes the region's mountains. The worst damage occurred in the town of Ercis and in the city of Van. Many buildings, especially poorly built apartment blocks, collapsed, and more than 600 people were killed, with thousands more injured and many left homeless in the cold of the approaching winter. A strong aftershock a couple of weeks later caused further deaths and destroyed buildings. The disaster led to renewed debate about enforcing building codes in Turkey.
Before and after
- 5 October 2011Premiere of American Horror Story
- 7 October 2011Release of Litecoin
- 10 October 2011Creation of Dart
- 20 October 2011Death of Muammar Gaddafi
- 23 October 2011Van earthquake of 2011
- 8 November 2011Launch of Fobos-Grunt
- 10 November 2011The western black rhinoceros is declared extinct
- from 14 November 2011 to 3 January 2013Daraa Governorate clashes
- 26 November 2011Launch of Curiosity
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- 5 April 1979Establishment of Kakadu National Park
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The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.