"Deadly 6.3 Aftershock Rocks Southern Turkey 2 Weeks After Massive Quake: Hundreds Injured, 3 Killed"

 

"Deadly 6.3 Aftershock Rocks Southern Turkey 2 Weeks After Massive Quake: Hundreds Injured, 3 Died"

Antakya, Turkey DBP — 

Southern Turkey was hit by a magnitude 6.3 aftershock on Monday, which killed at least three people and injured hundreds more, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.

United States Geographical Survey (USGS)

The quake struck Turkey's southern Hatay province, near the Syrian border, and the epicenter was in the province's Defne district. Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Monday that there have been 26 aftershocks since the original massive earthquake struck two weeks ago, killing tens of thousands of people in both countries. Turkish officials say at least three people were killed and 294 people were injured following Monday's aftershocks. In the city of Antakya, three men were trapped when a building that had survived the initial quake two weeks ago collapsed, according to their relative, Yahya Hallak.

Rescue camp footage was taken from AFAD

Hundreds of rescuers worked into the early hours of Tuesday morning trying to reach the men, some falling asleep on rubble next to fires to stay warm, as others endured freezing conditions to shift heavy rubble.

In northwest Syria, more than 130 people were injured in Monday's quake, which caused a number of other buildings to collapse, the White Helmets volunteer rescue group said. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the quake as being of magnitude 6.4 at a depth of 10 kilometers before revising it down to 6.3 magnitudes.

Officials have been urging the public to stay away from buildings, and Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay earlier Monday asked the public "not to magnitudes damaged buildings, especially to take their belongings."

The mayor of Samandag, near where the quake hit, said some buildings had collapsed, and that the mood was one of panic following the AFAD warning. CNN teams in Adana, Turkey felt the quake, as did eyewitnesses in Gaziantep and Mersin. Families who were affected by the earthquake two weeks ago told CNN of the terror caused by Monday's tremors.

The source is taken from CNN

Turkey is no stranger to strong earthquakes, as it is situated along tectonic plate boundaries. Seven quakes with magnitude 7.0 or greater have struck the country in the past 25 years - but the one on February 6 was the most powerful and deadly.

On Sunday, Turkey's disaster management authority said it had ended most search and rescue operations nearly two weeks after the earthquake struck as experts say the chances of survival for people trapped in the rubble this far into the disaster are unlikely. Some efforts remain in the provinces of Kahramanmaraş and Hatay.

Efforts to retrieve survivors have been hampered by a cold winter spell across quake-stricken regions, while authorities grapple with the logistical challenges of transporting aid into northwestern Syria amid an acute humanitarian crisis compounded by years of political strife.

According to the USGS, "Aftershocks become less frequent with time, although they can continue for days, weeks, months, or even years for a very large mainshock." Monday's quake is considered an aftershock as it is in the same general region and lower than the original 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

This story has been updated with new information from USGS.

 

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