A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Syrian-Turkish border on Monday The US Geological Survey saidTwo weeks after the region was devastated by the earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people.
At least six people have been killed and 294 injured in Turkey, according to the Associated Press mentionedCiting the country’s disaster response agency. The agency said, citing pro-government media, that two more people died in Syria, and more than 190 people were injured. according To the Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer organization.
The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was near the city of Uzunbag in far southern Turkey, near Syria and the Mediterranean Sea. The Turkish government also reported the earthquake on verified Twitter account.
It was the latest of thousands of aftershocks that followed the initial devastation on Feb. 6, showing how the deadly danger from earthquakes can linger long after the few seconds of the first quake.
Reuters reported that the tremor caused panic and damaged buildings in the nearby city of Antakya and that the earthquake was felt at least as far afield as Egypt and Lebanon.
The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at around 8:04 pm local time.
“I thought the earth would open under my feet,” Mona al-Omar, a resident of Antakya, told Reuters, crying as she held her 7-year-old son in her arms.
“Will there be another aftershock?” she asked.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said that at least eight people were taken to hospital in Turkey Associated Press.
Electricity was cut off from the Turkish coastal city of Iskenderun, and some buildings there collapsed. Sky News Arabia reportedQuoting the mayor.
Teams of people have carried out search and rescue efforts to find people who may be trapped in damaged buildings, including in Hatay province, local news outlet HaberTürk. mentioned Early Tuesday local time.
Since the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6, thousands of smaller earthquakes have occurred in the region, according to the Turkish newspaper. Government.
Raed Ahmed, director general of the Syrian National Center for Earthquakes, said in a statement to the official Syrian News Agency (SANA), that the recent quake is considered to be an aftershock and that aftershocks will likely continue.
The Syrian Civil Defense said on Twitter People have been injured by falling stones, stampedes or falls from buildings. The organization said that two uninhabited buildings collapsed in one city, and other buildings were cracked in several cities.
In Aqrabat, Syria, children were evacuated from the hospital as a precaution despite the near-freezing temperatures, according to a video provided by the Syrian aid organization UOSSM.
More than a million people have been displaced in the middle of winter by earthquakes in the two countries, according to Reuters, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is facing anger and criticism over construction practices that failed to prevent collapses.
Erdogan pledged to rebuild housing in the disaster area within a year, an ambitious goal that has been achieved It’s all more difficult Through renewed examination of safety standards. Cities that adhered to strict building codes, such as Erzin, became collection points for donations.
Authorities are also combating threats to public health, including infections of the gut and upper respiratory tract.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announce More humanitarian aid on a visit to Turkey on Sunday, which brought total US earthquake assistance in Turkey and Syria to $185 million.
The United Nations has launched a worldwide appeal for more than $1.4 billion in relief operations.
“Alcohol geek. Certified web scholar. Travel aficionado. Subtly charming twitter fanatic.”