Man slashes tires of 160 cars after deadly Turkey earthquake

Rescuers work on searching for people buried under the rubble on a collapsed building, after an earthquake struck Elazig, eastern Turkey. Image: IHH/Humanitarian Relief Foundation via AP

An unidentified man decided to slash the tires of more than 160 cars in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, Turkey, right after the country was hit by a deadly magnitude 6.8 earthquake on Jan. 24.

Surveillance footage showed that the man used a knife to flatten the tires of vehicles in Diyarbakir’s Bismil district on Jan. 24, as per Hurriyet Daily News the day after.

Residents were enraged and called the crime “unacceptable” for being done following such a devastating calamity, the report said. The culprit has yet to be identified or found, as of writing. His intentions or motivations remain unknown.

The earthquake, which hit the eastern part of Turkey, has so far claimed the lives of at least 35 people and injured over 1,600 people. Around 680 aftershocks were recorded as of yesterday, Jan. 26.

People look at a collapsed building after a 6.8 earthquake struck Elazig city center in eastern Turkey, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Image: IHA via AP

Turkey, situated on two major fault lines, is frequently rocked by earthquakes. In 2010, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake killed 51 people in eastern Turkey, while the country’s worst quakes came in 1999, which killed around 18,000 people.

At least 76 buildings have already been destroyed while over 1,000 were damaged by the Jan. 24 earthquake. Rescuers are still working round-the-clock in search of possible survivors trapped beneath the toppled buildings. Ian Biong/JB

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