Another earthquake in Turkey on Monday left people scrambling to seek shelter in safer places. The 6.4-magnitude quake comes two weeks after a massive quake that killed over 47,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Another earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit the region soon after. The new earthquake was centred near the southern Turkish city of Antakya and was also felt in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
Three people died and more than 200 were injured, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Local media reports suggest that some people are stuck under the rubble after the latest quake. People in Samandag reported that Monday’s earthquake led to more buildings falling in the region. However, people had already fled the area after the January 6 quake, so the buildings were already empty. One of the dead was reported from this region.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority AFAD said that the death count from the January 6 has risen to 41,156 in the country and it is expected to rise further. The group also reported that a whopping 385,000 apartments were destroyed or seriously damaged in the devastating quake and many people are still missing.
Meanwhile, President Tayyip Erdogan said construction work on nearly 200,000 apartments in 11 earthquake-hit provinces of Turkey would begin next month.
Aid for those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Turkey, pledged aid for those affected “for as long as it takes”. As rescue operations begin to wind down, focus is now shifting towards urgent shelter and reconstruction work. Total humanitarian assistance by the US for Turkey and Syria has reached $185 million, the US State Department said.
According to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, around 356,000 pregnant women are in urgent need of health services. This includes 226,000 women in Turkey and 130,000 in Syria. At least 38,800 are expected to deliver next month. They are facing mounting problems of access to clean drinking water and food, besides being exposed to freezing temperatures.
In Syria, the northwest region is from where most of the deaths have been reported. The United Nations said that 4,525 people were killed here. Aid efforts are taking a hit in the region as the area is controlled by insurgents at war with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Officials say 1,414 people were killed in areas under the control of Assad’s government. Meanwhile, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said a convoy of 14 of its trucks had entered northwestern Syria from Turkey on Sunday to assist in rescue operations.
(With inputs from agencies)
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
