Search and rescue efforts have been completed following another pair of earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye centered in the Defne and Samandağ districts of Hatay late Monday night on Feb. 20, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said Tuesday.
Two new earthquakes shook Türkiye's Hatay province near the Syrian border, just two weeks after a pair of major earthquakes in the area occurred on Feb. 6.
According to AFAD, the epicenter of the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4 was the Defne district. It took place at around 8:04 p.m. local time (5:04 p.m. GMT), at a depth of 16.7 kilometers (10.4 miles).
Another magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered in the Samandağ district in Türkiye's Hatay shook the area at a depth of 7 kilometers just three minutes after the magnitude 6.4 quake.
Six people, in the Samandağ, Defne, Gazi and Antakya districts, have been confirmed dead and 294 others were injured after the new quakes, according to media outlets.
VIDEO — People panic as magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered in Hatay's Defne district shakes the area, 2 weeks after 2 major quakes in southeast Türkiyehttps://t.co/naKoD1td9Z pic.twitter.com/nSk06nLRtD
— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) February 20, 2023
AFAD stated that almost 90 aftershocks occurred in the Defne district of Hatay. Provincial directorate teams from Sakarya, Erzurum, Samsun, Diyarbakır, Adana, Van, Kayseri, Denizli, Balıkesir, Artvin, Bartın and Uşak, as well as 112 Emergency, fire brigade, Gendarmerie Search and Rescue Team (JAK), Police Search and Rescue (PAK), General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses Search and Rescue Team (CEKUT) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) participated in the search and rescue efforts, said AFAD.
Around 6,000 tents were sent to the quake-hit region last night, and the tent shipment will continue throughout the day by air and land, AFAD stated.
The earthquakes were also felt in 10 other provinces, which were significantly impacted by the two major earthquakes a fortnight ago, and footage showed people panicking on the streets.
The earthquakes were also felt in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Jordan.
Eyewitnesses in the area noted that some buildings damaged in the two major earthquakes two weeks ago have been destroyed, as authorities were dispatched to check up on people, whose lives are already devastated by the previous disasters.
Hatay Governor Rahmi Doğan said teams were scanning the area after receiving calls following the new earthquakes.
Vice President Fuat Oktay also said authorities were scanning the area, as he urged all citizens to stay away from damaged buildings.
Magnitude 3.9 and 4.5 aftershocks also happened shortly after the new earthquakes in Hatay, reports said.
Meanwhile, AFAD called on citizens in Hatay to evacuate the coastline as a precaution against the risk of sea level rise, which may reach up to 50 centimeters (1.6 feet).
The previously issued tsunami warning was standard procedure, he said, and the warning would now be lifted.
The first quake was not an aftershock of the big earthquakes from a fortnight ago, but new tremors, Oktay said.
On Feb. 6, two earthquakes with magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 shook southeastern Türkiye, killing at least 41,156 people and injuring tens of thousands of others, according to AFAD.
Over 6,210 aftershocks jolted the areas following the two main earthquakes, AFAD said.
Investigations on the major earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş continue.
