disasters
Another strong earthquake shakes south-east Turkey
Members of a search and rescue team search for people under the rubble at the epicenter of the Kharamanmaras earthquake. photo
© Ahmed Deeb/dpa
The people in south-eastern Turkey cannot rest: the earth is shaking again. People ran into the streets in panic. Houses collapse again in Syria.
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 of Hatay province, according to the Kandilli earthquake observatory in Istanbul on Monday. 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 on people to stay away from the shores. The sea level could rise by up to half a meter.
The broadcaster CNN Türk reported that people ran into the streets in a panic and that the electricity in Hatay had gone out. Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savas warned the earthquakes were continuing. He called on Twitter to stay away from buildings that are in danger of collapsing. The state-run Anadolu News Agency reported that the state hospital in the coastal town of Iskenderun was being evacuated.
According to media reports, the earthquake was also felt in the surrounding provinces, in northern Syria, in Israel, Iraq and Lebanon. 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. New victims have arrived in at least four of the organization’s clinics – including a child with cardiac arrest who could be resuscitated. It was initially unclear whether houses collapsed in Turkey.
Fear of more earthquakes
The rescue organization White Helmets announced that several towns and villages were affected in northwestern Syria. In several areas, house walls and balconies collapsed. The civil defense reported “several injuries” from falling debris, among other things.
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 frightened people and made them run into the streets,” said local resident Abdel Kafi. “Many people have left their homes and are roaming the streets in fear that more[earthquakes]will follow,” including in the Syrian capital Damascus, wrote UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman for the region, Rula Amin Twitter.
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, including more than 41,000 in Turkey.