The death toll in the fresh earthquake near the Turkey-Syria border on Tuesday rose to eight, two weeks after a massive temblor killed as many as 45,000 people on both sides. According to a report, at least 294 people have sustained injuries, while 18 others are in critical condition after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake.
In Syria, a woman and a girl died as a result of panic during the earthquake in the provinces of Hama and Tartus, pro-government media outlets said.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in Defne town in Turkey’s Hatay province which runs along the border of Syria. The tremors of the earthquake were also felt in Jordan, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and as far away as Egypt. The high-magnitude earthquake was followed by a second, magnitude 5.8 temblor, and dozens of aftershocks.
Hatay in Turkey was one of the worst-hit provinces when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country two weeks ago on 6 February. While thousands of buildings were destroyed in the country, another earthquake has further damaged some. According to the reports, the governor’s office in Hatay was also damaged.
Officials have warned quake victims to not go into the remains of their homes, but people have done so to retrieve what they can. They were caught up in the new quake.
The majority of deaths in the massive Feb. 6 quake, which was followed by a 7.5 temblor nine hours later, were in Turkey with at least 41,156 people killed. The epicenter was in southern Kahramanmaras province. Authorities said more than 110,000 buildings across 11 quake-hit Turkish provinces were either destroyed or so severely damaged that they need to be torn down.
Two people died in government-ruled Syria--- a girl in Safita town and a woman in Hama city which was hit by the 6 February earthquake.
The White Helmets, northwest Syria’s civil defense organization, said about 190 people suffered different injuries in rebel-held northwest Syria mostly cases or broken bones and bruises. It said that several flimsy buildings collapsed adding that there were no cases in which people were stuck under the rubble.
(With agency inputs)
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