Another Massive Earthquake Has Struck Turkey Near Syria, Killing And Injuring Even More People
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey, just two weeks the country and Syria were devastated by two massive earthquakes.
Another earthquake has struck a Turkish city near the border with Syria, just two weeks after two massive earthquakes devastated both countries, killing more than 44,000 people and leaving tens of thousands of others homeless.
The new 6.4 magnitude quake, which struck near the Turkish city of Antakya at about 8:04 pm local time on Monday Feb. 20, killed at least six people and injured 294 others, including 18 who are in critical condition, according to AP.
The tremor – which was felt as far away as Egypt and Lebanon – was then followed by 90 aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.8 tremor three minutes later, according to Reuters.
“To me this is one of the signs of the apocalypse. I felt that we were going to die, that we would be buried here,” 47-year-old blacksmith Murat Vural told Reuters.
“I thought the earth was going to split open under my feet,” another local resident, Muna al-Omar, told Reuters.
The latest earthquake toppled buildings and left rescuers once again searching for people trapped under rubble in Turkey.
The death toll on Monday had been significantly lower as the region had already been left in ruins and largely uninhabitable following the two quakes on February 6.
Most of the injuries had been caused by people jumping from structures or falling over rubble when trying to flee, according to the Guardian.
The Feb. 6 earthquake was the deadliest earthquake in Turkey’s modern history and struck as Syria continues to face a humanitarian crisis from the ongoing civil war.
