Antakya, Turkey
CNN
—
A 6.3 magnitude aftershock hit southern Turkey on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring hundreds more, according to Turkish and Syrian officials, two weeks after a massive earthquake killed tens of thousands in both countries.
The earthquake hit Turkey’s southern province of Hatay near the Syrian border, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) said on Monday.
The epicenter of the quake was in Defne district, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Monday, adding that there have been 26 aftershocks since then.
Turkish officials say at least three people were killed and 294 people were injured as a result of Monday’s aftershocks.
In the city of Antakya in the southern province of Hatay, three men were trapped when a building that had survived the initial earthquake collapsed two weeks ago, according to their relative, Yahya Hallak.
Hundreds of rescuers worked into the early hours of Tuesday morning trying to reach the men, some falling asleep on rubble next to fires to stay warm, while others endured freezing conditions to move heavy rubble.
In northwestern Syria, more than 130 people were injured in Monday’s quake, which caused several other buildings to collapse, the White Helmets volunteer relief group said.
“Our teams are working to take the injured to hospitals, inspect affected villages and towns, and remove rubble to open roads for ambulances,” the White Helmets said.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the quake to be magnitude 6.4 at a depth of 10 kilometers before revising it to 6.3.
Authorities have urged the public to stay away from buildings. Earlier on Monday, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay asked the public “not to enter the damaged buildings, especially to take their belongings”.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 18 of the injured are in serious condition and have been taken to Adana and Dörtyol. Field hospitals continue to provide services to other patients, he said.
“I wish our injured, our patients, the people of the region and all the people of our country to recover soon. May Allah relieve our pain with health and well-being, and protect us from further pains and worries,” Koca said.
The mayor of Samandag, near the site of the quake, said some buildings had collapsed and the mood was panicky after the AFAD alert.
CNN crews in Adana, Turkey felt the quake, as did eyewitnesses in Gaziantep and Mersin.
Monday’s quake follows a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 that killed more than 46,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Families who were affected by the quake two weeks ago told CNN of the terror caused by Monday’s tremors.
“We went back to our house and this shock happened again and we came out…God help us,” said Zahir, who lives in a town between the towns of Iskenderun and Antakia, in the Turkish province of Hatay.
“We don’t know what to do today – today we’ll stay in the car and in the tent, we don’t know what will happen until tomorrow,” he told CNN.
On Sunday, Turkey’s disaster management authority said it had halted most search and rescue operations nearly two weeks after the quake, with experts saying the chances of survival for those caught in the Trap in the rubble so far into the disaster is unlikely.
Some efforts remain in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay provinces. A couple and their 12-year-old child were rescued in Hatay on Saturday, 296 hours after the quake, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Efforts to recover survivors have been hampered by a cold winter in quake-hit areas, while authorities grapple with logistical challenges transporting aid in northwestern Syria to midst of an acute humanitarian crisis compounded by years of political conflict.
Turkey is no stranger to strong earthquakes, as it is located along the boundaries of tectonic plates. Seven earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have hit the country in the past 25 years – but the one on February 6 was the strongest and deadliest.
Monday’s quake is considered an aftershock because it is in the same general region and smaller than the original magnitude 7.8 quake.
According to the USGS, “Aftershocks become less frequent over time, although they can last days, weeks, months, or even years for a very large main shock.”
This story has been updated with new information from the USGS.
