Turkish Gov't Refutes Social Media Reports About Strange Light Trail Before Earthquakes

ISTANBUL (Sputnik) - The Turkish Directorate of Communications said on Wednesday that social media reports showing a strange light trail in the sky shortly before devastating earthquakes were not filmed in Turkiye.

According to the Directorate's Disinformation Bulletin, several videos were published on social media showing a bright glow in the sky.

"These videos have nothing to do with the earthquakes in Turkiye. The original video was filmed on September 21, 2022 in the Kazakh city of Balkhash, this is the launch of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from Baikonur," the agency said in a statement received by Sputnik.

The statement also refuted the China Times report that Turkish rescuers allegedly removed Taiwanese rescuers from an operation to save a man from the rubble in the Adiyaman province.

The Taiwanese team completed their work successfully and experienced no problems, the statement noted, citing a message from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara.

On February 6, parts of Turkiye and Syria were hit by a series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks. The death toll from the devastating earthquakes in Turkiye exceeded 35,000. In Syria, the World Health Organization has estimated the number of casualties at 8,500, while the Syrian Health Ministry said the death toll in the government-controlled areas topped 1,414 people.