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ADANA, Turkey — A robust new earthquake shook southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Monday night, spreading panic amongst survivors and trapping folks below extra collapsed buildings solely two weeks after a devastating double tremor close by destroyed greater than 100,000 buildings, killed greater than 46,000 folks and left greater than one million homeless.
The 6.3-magnitude quake struck close to the city of Uzunbag in Turkey’s Hatay Province simply after 5 p.m. native time, in accordance with the US Geological Survey. The identical province suffered widespread harm within the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck earlier than daybreak on Feb. 6, adopted by a robust 7.5-magnitude aftershock a couple of hours later.
The shaking on Monday unfold terror throughout the quake zone, the place many individuals, traumatized by the sooner catastrophe, are staying in tents and sleeping of their vehicles as a result of they continue to be too scared to go inside any buildings.
The mayor of Hatay, Lutfu Safas, advised the Turkish broadcaster NTV that some constructions had collapsed, trapping folks beneath.
“Sadly, we’re receiving messages about folks remaining below buildings,” he mentioned, saying that they had returned to their properties as a result of they believed they had been stable or to rescue their belongings.
Lethal Quake in Turkey and Syria
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6, with its epicenter in Gaziantep, Turkey, has develop into one of many deadliest pure disasters of the century.
On the Sheraton resort within the metropolis of Adana, the place various buildings had collapsed within the preliminary quake, households crammed into elevators with their baggage to evacuate the constructing.
One girl suppressed sobs, making an attempt to succeed in somebody on her telephone. One other visitor started calling members of the family, urging them to depart the constructing.
“How will I ever return to my constructing,” one girl muttered.
“I’m trembling. We’re all traumatized,” mentioned Asu Askit, the spouse of the resort’s proprietor. “I feel I’ll keep in my automotive tonight.”
The authorities in Turkey warned residents of the quake zone to avoid broken constructions, and the nation’s nationwide catastrophe administration group warned folks in a tweet to avoid the Mediterranean shoreline, fearing that the ocean degree may rise as a lot as a half meter.
In Syria, folks had been hospitalized due to concern and after being damage in stampedes as residents fled their buildings for open areas, the state-run information media reported. Residents of the coastal metropolis of Tartous fled their properties, fearing a tsunami.
“We don’t have vehicles, we don’t have gas and there aren’t any taxis to flee to the countryside,” one resident wrote in a textual content message. “We don’t know the place to go.”
In rebel-held territory alongside the Turkish border, the White Helmets, a neighborhood rescue group, reported comparable stampedes and mentioned folks had jumped from balconies to flee buildings. Many buildings broken within the preliminary quake collapsed, the group mentioned.
Serkan Topal, a Turkish lawmaker who was in Hatay throughout Monday’s earthquake, advised Turkey’s Halk TV, “I’m afraid there are casualties,” with out specifying if he meant lifeless or wounded.
The brand new quake may exacerbate the problem of offering shelter to survivors nonetheless within the space, he mentioned.
“Now, we are going to want much more tents much more,” he mentioned. “After this night’s quake, nobody will enter their homes. We want tents, tents.”
Hatay’s governor, Rahmi Dogan, advised the state-run Anadolu information company that the authorities had been scanning town for potential destruction and that residents had appealed for assist.
Talking to reporters in Ankara, the Turkish capital, Vice President Fuat Oktay mentioned that eight folks had been injured and warned residents of the quake zone to avoid broken buildings.
Turkey’s catastrophe administration mentioned this week that greater than 6,000 aftershocks had hit the 11 provinces that make up the catastrophe zone within the days because the preliminary quakes of early February. A number of dozen of them had a magnitude between 5 and 6.
Cora Engelbrecht reported from Adana, Turkey, and Ben Hubbard from Istanbul. Reporting was contributed by Raja Abdulrahim in Adana, Safak Timur, Gulsin Harman in Istanbul and Hwaida Saad in Beirut, Lebanon.
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