Antakya, Turkey
CNN
–
At least six people were killed and hundreds injured after massive aftershocks rocked southern Turkey on Monday. A devastating earthquake which took the lives of thousands of people on February 6.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s southern Hatay province near the Syrian border on Monday. According to Turkey’s emergency coordination center Sacom, the epicenter of the earthquake was in the Difne district. Ninety aftershocks followed, the largest of which registered 5.8.
At least 294 people were injured – 18 “seriously,” SAKOM said on Tuesday, adding that survivors were treated by health units at local hospitals.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in the affected areas, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) chief Yunus Sezer tweeted on Tuesday.
In the city of Antakya in the country’s southern Hatay province, three people were trapped when a building that survived the initial earthquake two weeks ago collapsed, according to their relative, Yahya Halak.
Hundreds of rescuers tried to reach people early Tuesday morning, some sleeping on debris near fires to stay warm, as others braved freezing conditions to move heavy debris.
In northwest Syria, more than 130 people have been injured, the White Helmets volunteer rescue group said.
“Our teams are working to transport the injured to hospitals, inspect the affected villages and towns and clear debris to open roads for ambulances,” the White Helmets said.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially put the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.4 at a depth of 10 km before revising it to a magnitude of 6.3.
Officials have urged people to stay away from buildings. Turkish Vice President Fuat Okte earlier Monday asked the public “not to enter damaged buildings, especially to take their belongings.”
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 18 of the injured were in critical condition and had been taken to Adana and Dortiol. He said that field hospitals are continuing to provide services to more patients.
“I wish a speedy recovery to our injured, patients, local people and all the people of our country. May Allah ease our pain with health and well-being, and save us from new pains and worries,” said Koka.
The mayor of Samandag, where the quake struck, said some buildings had collapsed and the mood was panic after the AFAD warning.
CNN teams in Adana, Turkey, felt the quake, as did eyewitnesses in Gaziantep and Mersin.
More than 48,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria since the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on February 6.
Families affected by the quake two weeks ago told CNN about the terror Monday’s earthquake caused.
“We went back to our house and the shock happened again and we went out… God help us,” said Zaheer, who lives in a town between the cities of Iskenderun. and Antakya, in the Hatay province of Turkey.
“We don’t know what to do today – today we’ll be in the car and the tent, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” he told CNN.
AFAD said more than 7,000 aftershocks had been recorded in Turkey since the initial quake two weeks ago.
Earlier this month, the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria showed all the devastated areas.
According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, around 900,000 people in Turkey are living in tents and containers after the disaster and subsequent earthquake.
About 140,000 buildings have collapsed, which must be demolished immediately or have suffered heavy damage, Erdogan said, adding that 115,000 people were injured by the earthquake.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Turkish authorities arrested or detained several property developers amid growing concerns that the government failed to take necessary steps to enforce building regulations.
“If there are people who carelessly, accidentally or cause loss of life, it is our duty to hold them accountable before the law,” Erdogan said on Tuesday. “We will spare no one.”
On Sunday, Turkey’s disaster management authority said it had ended most search and rescue operations nearly two weeks after the quake struck as experts said the chances of survival for those trapped in the debris were slim.
Some efforts remain in Kahramanmaras and Hatya provinces. On Saturday, 296 hours after the earthquake, a couple and their 12-year-old child were rescued in Hatta, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Efforts to retrieve survivors have been hampered by a cold winter spell in earthquake-hit areas, while officials grapple with the logistical challenges of delivering aid to northwest Syria amid a severe humanitarian crisis linked to years of political strife. .
Turkey is no stranger to powerful earthquakes, as it lies along tectonic plate boundaries. Seven earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher have hit the country in the past 25 years – but the one on February 6 was the most powerful and deadliest.
Monday’s earthquake is considered an aftershock because it is in the same general area and smaller than the original 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
According to the USGS, “Aftershocks tend to diminish over time, although they can persist for days, weeks, months, or years for a very large mainshock.”
This story has been updated with new information from the USGS.
