Rescuers are hunting for individuals buried beneath rubble in Turkey once more after another earthquake struck the nation, killing at least six people. On 6 February, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake happened in the city of Antakya, on the border with Syria, where huge quakes damaged both countries.
Previous earthquakes in Turkey and Syria killed 44,000 people and displaced tens of thousands more. Buildings in both nations fell on Monday as a result of the shocks.
According to Turkey’s disaster and emergency ministry, the 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 20:04 local time (17:04 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). This was followed by a 5.8 aftershock three minutes later, as well as dozens of minor aftershocks.
Dr Fahrettin Koca, the health minister, stated that 294 individuals were hurt, with 18 of them critically. The death toll is likely to be minimal this time since the earthquake occurred in an area that was mostly deserted following the 6 February quake.
According to reports from Antakya, there was dread and panic in the streets as ambulances and rescue teams attempted to reach the worst-affected regions, where the walls of seriously damaged houses had crumbled.
“I felt the earth was going to split up under my feet,” Muna al-Omar, a local resident, cried as she cradled her seven-year-old son. She had been sleeping in a tent in a city centre park when the fresh tremors struck.
Ali Mazlum, 18, told AFP that he was seeking for the corpses of family members who died in earlier earthquakes when the newest shocks struck. “You don’t know what to do… we held each other and the walls started to fall right in front of us,” he explained.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pledged to hold accountable anybody guilty for the substandard building that resulted in deaths in the initial earthquake a fortnight ago during a visit to the southern region of Osmaniye. “It is our responsibility to bring wrongdoers to justice,” he stated.
Immediately after the earthquake, authorities filed more than 100 arrest warrants in connection with the construction of buildings that fell in the quake, a move that some perceived as politically motivated.
Immediately after the earthquake, authorities filed more than 100 arrest warrants in connection with the construction of buildings that fell in the quake, a move that some perceived as an attempt to shift responsibility away from the catastrophe as a whole.
The new earthquake in Adana drew people to a volleyball centre that had been turned into a rescue centre following the first earthquake.
According to the BBC, police say up to 600 people arrived overnight, looking for a substantial, ground-level structure to take shelter in. Many were said to have raced out into the streets rather than remaining put when the earthquake occurred, indicating that there is still tremendous anxiety two weeks after the first calamity.
470 wounded persons are alleged to have visited hospitals in Syria following Monday’s quakes, which were also felt in Egypt and Lebanon. On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $100 million grant to Turkey.
On a visit to Turkey on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered $100m (£83m) in humanitarian relief, adding that America will help with earthquake recovery “for as long as it takes”. It is one of numerous countries that supplied assistance in the aftermath of the first earthquake.
Rescue operations have recently been suspended in all but two sites, with prospects of finding survivors dwindling.