A 6.4-magnitude earthquake and a second measuring 5.8 have hit Turkey’s southern province of Hatay. It had left people in fear in a region devastated by twin earthquakes two weeks ago.
The quake was felt in neighbouring Syria, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more than 500 injured in the north-west.
A person was alleged dead in the town of Samandag in Hatay by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority AFAD. Residents had said that more buildings collapsed but most of the town had already fled after the initial earthquakes. Mounds of debris and discarded furniture lined the dark, abandoned streets.
The latest quakes were less powerful than the 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes. It tore a path of destruction through southern Turkey and northern Syria on 6 February.
The larger quake struck at a depth of just 2km (1.2 miles), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, potentially magnifying its impact at ground level. It was centred near the southern Turkish city of Antakya and was felt in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon.
Turkey’s disaster management agency AFAD said the epicentre of the larger quake was below the Defne district of Hatay, in a region where many have complained of a lacklustre government response to the first earthquakes.
On Monday AFAD said that the death toll in Turkey from the quakes two weeks ago increased to 41,156, and was expected to extend more with 385,000 apartments known to have been destroyed or seriously damaged and many people still missing. At least 47,000 people are estimated to have died across Turkey and Syria.
AFAD have urged people to stay away from the Mediterranean coast, as the sea level could rise up to 20 inches.
Millions of people who survived the last quake need humanitarian aid, authorities say, with many survivors left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures.
Indian Army is supporting Turkey and Syria during a hard time. Recently, the Indian army team deployed as part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) delivered relief material to Aleppo, Syria.
