3 killed, 213 injured as two earthquakes shatter lives in Turkey

According to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, at least three people were killed and 213 were injured when two new earthquakes struck Turkey’s Southern Hatay province. The Turkish Interior Minister also announced that search and rescue activities are underway at three different locations. Two earthquakes rattled Turkey’s southernmost Hatay province on Monday evening, just two weeks after significant quakes struck the region, according to the country’s disaster management service.

According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, quoting the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), one of the quakes, with a magnitude of 6.4, occurred at roughly 20.04 pm, local time (1704GMT) in the Defence district of Hatay. In contrast, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country three minutes later, with its epicentre near Hatay’s Samandag province.

The first quake occurred at a depth of 16.7 kilometres (10.4 miles), while the second occurred at a depth of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). Both were felt in the immediate vicinity. The quakes two weeks ago, despite being centred in Kahramanmaras, 100 kilometres or more from Hatay, inflicted considerable damage in the city, according to Anadolu Agency.

AFAD issued warnings encouraging inhabitants to avoid coastal areas as a precaution against the likelihood of a 50-centimetre rise in sea level (1.6 feet). Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay urged residents in the region to avoid damaged properties as authorities surveyed the damage. Turkey is still reeling after the loss of at least 41,000 lives and another earthquake, according to the agency.

Authorities claim that millions of people who survived the earthquake require humanitarian assistance, with many survivors left homeless in near-freezing winter weather. Rescues are becoming increasingly rare. Previously, Turkey’s disaster agency announced the completion of rescue efforts in eight of ten regions, nearly two weeks after a major earthquake killed tens of thousands of people.