6.4 magnitude earthquake shakes south-east Turkey and Syria again

Two weeks after a devastating earthquake in south-eastern Turkey, another 6.4 magnitude tremor has shaken the region. The epicenter was in the Samandag district in Hatay province, according to the Kandilli earthquake station in Istanbul. The Turkish civil protection authority Afad even spoke of two earthquakes in Hatay of magnitude 6.4 and 5.8. She also reported several aftershocks.

Afad called to stay away from the coasts. The sea level could rise by up to half a meter. People ran into the streets in panic, as could be seen on television pictures. According to the broadcaster CNN Türk, the power went out in Hatay.

The earthquake was also felt in the surrounding provinces, in northern Syria and as far away as Lebanon. A resident near the Syrian city of Aleppo said the tremor was as strong as the one two weeks ago but did not last as long. “It scared people and made them run into the streets,” the man said.

In several places near the city of Aleppo, houses collapsed again, said a spokeswoman for the aid organization SAMS. Among them is the small town of Djindiris near the Turkish border, which was severely hit by the earthquake two weeks ago. Damage is also reported from the Turkish city of Antakya. Fuat Oktay, Turkey’s vice president, said on Twitter that investigations were ongoing. He asked citizens to stay away from damaged buildings.

Early in the morning of February 6, a 7.7-magnitude tremor shook southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, followed hours later by a second severe 7.6-magnitude tremor. In both cases, the epicenter was in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras. More than 47,000 people died in the quake earlier this month, including more than 41,000 in Turkey.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser want to visit the earthquake area in south-east Turkey on Tuesday. During the one-day visit, the two politicians wanted to get an idea of ​​the situation on site. Meanwhile, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is calling on people in Germany to show “enduring solidarity”. At a commemoration event for the victims of the earthquake two weeks ago, the head of state said in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin that humanity is still in demand. This applies “even if the images from the earthquake area have long since been supplanted by other news”.

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