Another Earthquake Strikes Turkey-Syria Border Region
Abdulateef Ahmed
Children, displaced as a result of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this month, play football outside a tent at a make shift camp in Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood in the government-held northern city of Aleppo on February 20, 2023. - More than 40,000 people were killed across the two countries by the February 6 disaster that flattened entire districts, survivors of the powerful quake have since huddled in whatever places they could find, many sleeping in tents and vehicles, others huddling around fires outside. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by LOUAI BESHARA has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Bustan al-Basha] instead of [Bustan al-Qasr]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.
Turkish disaster response agency AFAD says a 6.4-magnitude earthquake has struck the Turkey-Syria border region at a depth of 7.7km in Defne, Hatay province.
This is coming following 7.8-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks that hit Turkey two weeks ago, which killed nearly 46,000 people in southern Turkey and northwest Syria.
Monday night’s quake is believed to have originated around Antakya, the Turkish city that was levelled after the earthquake two weeks ago. Its vibrations reached Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Israel.
Some provinces on the Turkey-Syria Border include Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin and Şanlıurfa.
Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks since with thousands of buildings destroyed.
Residents of nearby city of Adana in southern Turkey and Samandag were terrified by the new earthquake.
In northwest Syria, the White Helmets rescue organisation said “walls and balconies of houses collapsed in several areas”.
“Several civilians injured from falling building debris, stampedes, and jumping from high areas. Additionally, in Jindires, north of Aleppo two uninhabited buildings and the minaret of a mosque collapsed,” they added.
The disaster management agency said on Twitter another 5.8-magnitude tremor followed three minutes later and its epicentre was Samandag district in Hatay.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay on social media urged people to stay away from damaged buildings and to follow officials’ warnings.
