RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The February 6 earthquakes left Iyad worried and anxious, especially as he re-lived that night through footage of collapsing buildings on social media. The spread of rumors about coming devastating earthquakes and tremors has made him more anxious still.
Iyad Muhammad, 57, from Raqqa, northern Syria, said that rumors went viral on social media about another earthquake, which left him in constant fear and anxious.
Although his city was not severely affected, Muhammad is always worried and anxious. He keeps thinking about the fate of his family should a disaster strike.
Rumors and social media posts are spreading fear among the residents of Raqqa, especially the predictions of a Dutch seismologist who went viral.
During the first earthquake that hit the region on February 6, six people from Kobani were injured due to the fear and panic that accompanied the earthquake.
According to people in Raqqa, what they fear most is that a majority of buildings were previously damaged during battles in the city.
Women and children are the most affected. Matara al-Mousa, 41, a resident of the city of Raqqa, is worried about an earthquake that will destroy her house or kill her family members.
Al-Mousa, a mother of eight said, “We are living in a state of terror, we have seen what happened in Aleppo and Turkey, this may happen to us at any moment.”
“We saw how the bodies of children and women were pulled out from under the rubble of their homes in Turkey and Aleppo, so we feared that we would meet the same fate,” the terrified mother said.
Fearing another earthquake, al-Mousa, like many residents, choose to spend the night outside.
In the early hours of February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing 50.000 and injuring many more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
At least 44.000 people have been killed in Turkey and over 6.000 in Syria.