Nakon podrhtavanja magnitude 7,2 na datum 23. oktobra i još jednog magnitude 5,6 samo par dana kasnije, poginulo je preko 650 ljudi, a hiljade drugih ostalo je bez domova u najvećoj jugoistočnoj provinciji ove zemlje, Van, koja je naseljena pretežno Kurdima.
Over 650 people were killed and thousands of others were left homeless in the country's largely Kurdish-populated southeastern province of Van following a 7.2-magnitude tremor on October 23rd and another measuring 5.6 only a few days later.