A Dutch geologist’s tweet, predicting a severe earthquake that would hit Turkey and Syria, three days before the disaster, is going viral on social media.
Geologist and earthquake researcher Frank Hoogerbeets predicted the earthquake in all its details, including the magnitude of the earthquake and the countries that will be affected.
Frank Hoogerbeets, had warned in a tweet on Friday, February 3 that “sooner or later there will be a ~M 7.5 earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon).”
Hoogerbeets’ tweet came exactly three days before the natural disaster that struck Turkey and Syria, in which he also referred to other countries that felt the shocks of the earthquake.
At dawn on, Monday, an earthquake struck the region of Turkey and Syria, with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale, according to the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management. Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq announced that they were affected by aftershocks as a result of the earthquake.
Dutch geologist expressed his regret and sympathy for those affected by the earthquake, and wrote in the first tweet after the incident, “My heart is with everyone who was affected by the major earthquake in central Turkey.”
Hoogerbeets continued, explaining, “As I mentioned earlier, this will happen sooner or later in this region, similar to the years 115 and 526. These earthquakes are always preceded by critical planetary geometry, as had on February 4 and 5.”
Hoogerbeets warned of aftershocks and said, “Watch for additional strong seismic activity in central Turkey and neighbouring areas. Aftershocks usually continue for a while after a major earthquake.”
The earthquake claimed the lives of hundreds of Turks and Syrians and injured thousands of others. The Turkish authorities have raised the alert status to the fourth level, which includes the request for international assistance.
The earthquake in Kahramanmaras lasted about a minute and caused the destruction of dozens of buildings and a huge fire. Video clips published on communication platforms documented the damage.
In Turkey alone, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency announced that the death toll from the earthquake had risen to 3,381, and the injured to 20,426.
More than 6,217 buildings collapsed in Turkey, with most casualties occurring in the southern provinces of Hatay and Gaziantep.
It added that 285 aftershocks occurred in the aftermath of the earthquake – which had a magnitude of 7.7 and its epicentre was in the state of Kahramanmaras in southern Turkey.
Who is Frank Hoogerbeets?
According to Hoogerbeets’ Twitter bio, he is a researcher with the Solar System Geometry Survey (SSGS) which describes itself as a research institute observing the geometry of celestial bodies associated with seismic activity.
