Four detained for spreading ‘panic’ on social media after Turkey earthquake

FacebookTwitterWhatsAppCopy Link

New Delhi: Amid ongoing rescue operation after 5, 000 people have lost their lives due to the earthquake, Turkish police have detained four people on charges of spreading panic on social media.

“We have arrested four people who were trying to spread fear through their social media accounts,” a Turkish police official said. The investigation is still going on about where the information posted on social media was shared.

After the earthquake in Turkey, a large number of people are seeking help from the police with the help of social media.

Strong tremors have destroyed thousands of buildings in Turkey and Syria. The devastation was so horrific that rescuers had to dig bare-handedly to rescue the survivors.

Dozens of countries pledged assistance to Turkey after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The quake struck while people were still asleep and cold weather made relief operations and emergency services more difficult.

In Turkey, several multi-storey apartments filled with people turned into piles of rubble. At the same time, many buildings collapsed in Syria.

The initial quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including a 7.5-magnitude quake that further disrupted search and rescue operations on Monday.

In the southeastern Turkish city of Sanliurfa, rescuers were working through the night trying to pull survivors out of the rubble of a seven-story building. Despite the temperature dropping below the freezing point, panic-stricken people in the city were preparing to spend the night on the streets revolving around the fire.