A secondary earthquake measuring magnitude 5.0 on the Richter scale this Thursday caused panic in the city of Antakya, which was hardest hit by the February 6 and Monday quakes, although it did not cause major damage.
The earthquake struck at 18:53 (15:53 GMT), with the epicenter in Baliklidere, just five kilometers south of Antakya, capital of Hatay provinceaccording to data from the Kandilli Seismographic Observatory in Istanbul.
This earthquake caused panic among those still living in tents in this city, which was almost completely destroyed by the earthquakes on Feb. 6, which killed more than 43,000 in 11 provinces of the country, the NTV station reported.
The governor of that province, Rahmi Dogan, assured the Turkish agency Anadolu that the earthquake has caused practically no new damage in a city where there are currently no inhabited houses.
“Except for the collapse of some already damaged buildings, nothing serious has happened. According to initial information, there are no injuries and no one is under the rubble.”he lifted Dogan.
Antakya, which was already the most devastated city after the 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on February 6, suffered a new and independent earthquake on Monday, according to experts, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale. Richter, followed by a 5.8 aftershock.
The most recent earthquake left six dead, three of them trying to recover belongings from damaged homes, and more than a hundred people were injured, 18 of them in serious condition.
The death toll in Turkey from the earthquakes that hit 11 provinces in the country’s southeast on Feb. 6 has risen to 43,556, authorities said today, following an earlier balance that pointed to 42,310.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said people were still found under the rubble of some buildings in Hatay province, which was worst hit by the quake.
According to Soylu, who described the earthquake as “the largest in the world”, 600,000 homes were destroyed.
The minister said authorities had identified half a thousand builders believed to be responsible for structures that failed to meet anti-seismic safety standards. About 160 people were arrested.
In Syria, also hit by the earthquakes, at least 3,600 people died.
Source: DN
