OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Turkmenistan - Earthquake
8 December 2000


1.  A major earthquake occurred on 6 December 2000 at 22:11 local time, in
the southern part of the Caspian Sea, on Turkmenistan's west coast, about
150 km west-northwest of Gyzylarbat. According to United States Geological
Survey, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 Mw, with the epicentre
situated at latitude 39.7 degrees north and longitude 54.9 degrees east.
The quake was felt both in Ashgabat, capital of the country, and in Baku,
Capital of Azerbaijan, situated on the other side of the Caspian Sea. The
quake was also reported to have been felt in much of southern Russia and
even noticed in the outskirts of Moscow.

2.  The shock of the earthquake caused cracks on the buildings. Some
residents were hospitalized mainly because of heart and stress problems. A
number of people spent the night on the street. Nevertheless, the main
municipal services are working and shops are open. Local authorities are
now identifying the scale of damages. Tangible damages to buildings and
possibly loss of life in the south-west region of Turkmenistan have been
reported to the UN office in the country. The Government has not yet
confirmed the effects of the earthquake in this region.

3.  On 7 December 2000, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP
Representative met with the President of Turkmenistan who said there was
no need for international assistance, as the Government had the situation
under control.

4.  In consultation with the UN Resident Coordinator, UNICEF is fielding a
mission to the region to assess the unconfirmed information.

5.  For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva,
as indicated below, of bilateral relief missions/pledges/contributions and
their corresponding values by item.

6.  This situation report, together with further information on ongoing
emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int.



Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officer :  Mr. Dusan Zupka Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1394

Press contact:
  (in GVA) Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53
  (in NY) Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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