Turkey earthquake: New aftershock traps people in rubble

Rescuers are searching again for people trapped in the rubble after an earthquake in Turkey killed at least three people.

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Antakya, near the border with Syria, on February 6, when massive earthquakes devastated both countries.

Previous earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have killed 44,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

Buildings weakened by the quake collapsed in both countries on Monday.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergencies Agency says the 6.4 earthquake struck at 20:04 local time (17:04 GMT) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles).

This was followed three minutes later by a 5.8 aftershock followed by 31 aftershocks.

The three deaths occurred in Antakya, Defne and Samandak, Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said, urging people not to enter dangerous buildings.

Health Minister Dr Fahrettin Koca said 294 people were injured – 18 of them seriously.

The death toll this time is thought to be relatively low as the earthquake hit an area that was largely empty after being badly hit by the February 6 earthquake.

Reports from the city of Antakya spoke of fear and panic on the streets as ambulances and rescue teams tried to reach the worst-hit areas where walls of badly damaged buildings had collapsed.

“I thought the earth would split under my feet,” local resident Muna al-Omar told Reuters news agency, as she cried holding her seven-year-old son. She was in a tent in a park in the city center when the new quake struck.

Ali Maslam, 18, told AFP news agency that he was searching for the bodies of family members from previous quakes when the latest quakes hit.

“You don’t know what to do… We held each other and in front of us, the walls started to fall,” he said.

In the city of Adana, people were taken to a volleyball center that had been converted into a recovery center following the first earthquake after the recent earthquake.

Officials have told the BBC they believe 600 people may have arrived overnight – looking for a sturdy, ground-floor building to take shelter.

When the earthquake struck, people reportedly ran into the streets without shelter, reflecting the fact that significant fear still lingered two weeks after the initial disaster.

In Syria, 470 people were reportedly hospitalized after Monday’s tremors, which were also felt in Egypt and Lebanon.

Visiting Turkey on Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced $100m (£83m) in humanitarian aid, saying the US would help the quake “for as long as it takes”.

It was one of many countries that offered their help in the wake of the first earthquake.

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