More than 2,800 people were killed after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the Lice district of Türkiye’s southeastern Diyarbakır province.

On September 6, 1975, an earthquake of Richter magnitude 6.9 occurred near the town of Lice in southeastern Turkey.

The main area of damage was located near the towns of Hani, Lice and Kulp. In Lice 12 out of the 13 mahalles (sections) of the town were completely destroyed. 6 schools, 6 mosques and 132 commercial buildings were damaged.

In the 188 villages surrounding Lice that were affected, 5,555 houses suffered either severe damage or total destruction.

The earthquake occurred near midday without any warning. The shaking continued for about 20–24 seconds. The mainshock was followed by aftershocks that continued for more than a month.

A total of 15,000 soldiers were involved in rescue and relief work, with the first personnel arriving just 3 hours after the earthquake. The government set aside a total of 34 million dollars for repair and reconstruction.

Financial assistance from the international community, from both government and private sources reached a total of $14,837,058. The largest government contribution was from Saudi Arabia. (ILKHA)