A 6.4 magnitude earthquake at a depth of two km (1.2 miles) struck the Turkey-Syria border region on Monday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
The quake hit the town of Defne at 8:04 pm (17:04 GMT) and was affected the cities of Antakya and Adana, 200km (300 miles) to the north.
Turkey’s emergency management said a second magnitude 5.8 centered in Samandag district of Hatay shook the region several minutes later.
Monday’s earthquake report came a mere few hours after US Secretary of state Antony Blinken vowed to aid Turkey “for as long as it takes” after deadly earthquakes affected the country two weeks ago.
“Türkiye faces a long road ahead to support those rendered homeless, and to rebuild. The UN secretary-general has put out a very important, urgent appeal for $1 billion for long-term assistance, and we’re committed to providing support,” Blinken said.
Two Reuters witnesses reported a strong quake and further damage to buildings in central Antakya which were already affected by two massive earthquakes on February 6. Turkish rescue teams are reportedly working on damage control.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkey’s southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) on February 6, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country’s southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in the Kahramanmaras Province.
(This is an ongoing story. Further details are awaited.)
