Hurricane-prone states The day in pictures Get the USA TODAY app Start the day smarter ☀️ U.S. Elections Sports Entertainment Life Money Tech Travel Opinion ONLY AT USA TODAY: Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines Investigations Podcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling Booklist 24/7 Live Stream Legals OUR PORTFOLIO: 10Best USAT Wine Club Online Sports Betting Online Casino Reviewed Homefront Blueprint Southern Kitchen Best Auto Insurance Best Pet Insurance Best Travel Insurance Best Credit Cards Best CD Rates Best Personal Loans Home Internet FACT CHECK fact-checking Add Topic # Fact check: False claim that numerous ambassadors fled Turkey ahead of earthquake ![\\"Portrait](\\"/gcdn/authoring/authoring- images/2023/11/29/USAT/71739954007-hudnall.jpg?crop=1664,1665,x0,y161&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\") Hannah Hudnall USA TODAY ![\\"\\"](\\"/gcdn/presto/2023/02/27/USAT/a21a8405-cb36-4b03-a7b4-8006f6cab1d7-AP23058401090870.jpg?crop=4987,2806,x0,y253&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\"/) PlayPause Sound OnSound Off 0:00 0:35 AD SKIP ClosedCaptionOpen ShareEnter Full ScreenExit Full Screen ## The claim: Ambassadors pulled from Turkey 24 hours before earthquake A March 3 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a list of countries with ambassadors in Turkey. \"List of countries that pulled their ambassadors out of Turkey 24 hours before the earthquake,\" reads the post. \"Canada, USA, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Holland, France. Nothing suspicious here.\" The post, originally shared on Twitter, garnered more than 100 likes in four days. Similar posts have been shared on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks ## Our rating: Partly False Spokespeople for six out of eight embassies confirmed their ambassadors were in Turkey at the time of the earthquake. Photographic evidence places many of the ambassadors in the area at the time. ## Embassies say claims are false This claim builds on the baseless conspiracy theory that the deadly Turkey earthquake was somehow planned or created. But the claim here has no basis in reality. Spokespeople for most of the ambassadors in question said they were in Turkey during the Feb. 6 earthquake, which killed more than 50,000 people. A spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office of Germany; Marilyne Guèvremont, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada; Dario Sabbioni, a spokesperson for the Italian Embassy in Ankara; and Wouter Poels, a spokesperson for the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told USA TODAY over email that the ambassadors were in Turkey at the time of the earthquake. Fact check: Bizarre cloud formation in Turkey not connected to HAARP, earthquakes \"Both the Belgian ambassador to Turkey and the Belgian consul general in Istanbul were on Turkish territory that day,\" said Poels. \"All Belgian diplomatic and consular staff in Turkey were fully operational by 5 am on Feb. 6 to deal with the consequences of the earthquake.\" Representatives for the French and Dutch embassies told AFP their ambassadors were in the country when the earthquake struck as well. The U.S. Embassy didn\'t respond to USA TODAY\'s request for comment and the U.K. Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the record. But U.S. ambassador Jeffry Flake shared a picture on Instagram of a flag at half-staff tagged in Ankara on Feb. 6, and he spoke on CNN from the city early the next morning. ## Ambassadors photographed in Turkey around time of earthquake In addition to the public statements, an array of photographic evidence shows ambassadors in Turkey around the time of the earthquake. Herve Magro, the French ambassador to Turkey, visited a Turkish tennis club on Feb. 3, according to a tweet shared by the club. The same day, Magro tweeted a picture of Kuğulu Park, located in the Turkish city of Ankara. Dutch ambassador Joep Wijnands was photographed meeting with Turkish politician Ahmet Davutoğlu on Feb. 3, while Belgian ambassador Paul Huynen spoke at a Feb. 3 seminar in Ankara. U.K. ambassador Jill Morris was pictured meeting officials in Istanbul and packing donation boxes in Ankara on Jan. 26 and Feb. 13. Fact check: Video that appears to show cracks in the Earth from China, not Turkey or Syria USA TODAY has previously debunked claims that the earthquake was a manmade attack on the Kurdish people and that it was created by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program. USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment. The Twitter user could not be reached. Reuters has debunked this claim as well. ## Our fact-check sources: * German Federal Foreign Office spokesperson, March 6, Email exchange with USA TODAY * Wouter Poels, March 7, Email exchange with USA TODAY * Marilyne Guèvremont, March 6, Email exchange with USA TODAY * Dario Sabbioni, March 9, Email exchange with USA TODAY * Small Club Association, Feb. 3, Tweet * Herve Magro, Feb. 3, Tweet * Netherlands in Turkey, Feb. 3, Tweet * Jeffflake, Feb. 6, Instagram post * The Lead CNN, Feb. 6, Tweet * Jill Morris, Jan. 26, Tweet * Jill Morris, Feb. 13, Tweet * Belgium in Turkey, Feb. 3, Tweet * AFP, Feb. 2, Turkey summons Western envoys in consulate closure row * AFP, March 2, Baseless claim Turkey ambassadors \'evacuated\' before earthquake fuels conspiracy theories * Reuters, Feb. 21, Fact Check-Embassies say there is no truth to claims about Western diplomats fleeing Turkey before the Feb. 6 earthquake Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. 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Ambassadors pulled from Turkey 24 hours before earthquake