Two new earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have killed and injured more than 300 people

These earthquakes were reported as 6.4 and 5.8 on the Richter scale. During the February 6 earthquake, 44,000 people were killed in the region.

Via Le Figaro with AFP

Posted 02/20/2023 at 6:23 PMUpgrade 02/20/2023 at 21:48

Two strong earthquakes (6.4 and 5.8) struck again on the evening of Monday, February 20, hitting northern Syria and the Turkish province of Hatay (south). February 6 earthquake More than 45,000 people were killed in both countries.

At least three people have died and 213 injured in Turkey, Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu announced in the evening. The vice president, Fouad Okte, had earlier reported that eight people had been injured in the collapse of the already damaged buildings. 47 people were injured in Syria Aleppo, they panicked as they tried to flee, Sanaa said. The head of the White Helmets’ Syrian rescue team spoke to him about 125 people injured in the north of the country.

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The first quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in Defne, a district near Antakya, struck at 8:04pm (6:04pm in France) and was felt more violently by AFP teams in Antakya and Atana, 200 km to the north. It was followed three minutes later by a new 5.8-magnitude earthquake in the coastal region of Samandak further south. At least two 5.2-magnitude earthquakes struck in the evening, according to Turkish aid agency Afad. of”Aftershocks with error“Anatolian and not new”Independent earthquakesDr. Ovgun Ahmed Ergan, an engineer expert in geophysics noted.

Iskenderam Port General Hospital and Antakya Mustafa Kemal University Hospital were evacuated as a precaution, DHA news agency reported, and intensive care patients were transferred to a field hospital. The Afad Relief Coordination Center was also evacuated. A drowning warning has been issued off Turkey’s coast.

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“Earth Opened Up”

In a square in the center of Antakya, 18-year-old Syrian Ali Masloum testified to AFP about the intensity of the quake. “We were with Afad searching for the bodies of our relatives when the earthquake surprised us. You don’t know what to do“, he hoped. “We held onto each other and the walls began to crumble in front of us. It felt like the earth was opening to swallow us“.

Ali, who has lived in Antakya for twelve years, is still searching for the bodies of his sister and her family and his brother-in-law and his family who have been missing since the February 6 earthquake. “The road moved like waves, cars were pushed from side to side. The building was moving back and forth. It cut our legsMehmet Irmak, 34, who works at a notary office, told AFP. “Hatay is no longer a safe place… I will wait for dawn, but I don’t know what to doAdds the man who had been sleeping in his car for two weeks following the first earthquake.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Kahramanmaras, one of two affected by the earthquake two weeks ago, traveled to Hatay province on Monday, where research and excavations continue. They were arrested everywhere else on Sunday and the hope of finding survivors is almost nil. According to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, more than 118,000 buildings were destroyed or badly damaged.

Earlier, the head of state spoke for over an hour in Ankara with US diplomatic chief Anthony Blinken, who had just finished a two-day visit to Turkey. The latter showed America’s support for the stricken country and pledged continued aid, while also seeking reassurance about the state of bilateral relations, which have been strained at times.