Again, earthquake hits Turkey and Syria

Six people were killed and new terror was sparked in northern Syria and the southern Turkish province of Hatay as a result of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, which struck after a huge quake on February 6 that left about 45,000 people dead in both countries.

The deaths and over 300 hospitalizations were reported by the AFAD disaster response service, while in Syria, the White Helmets aid organization stated that at least 150 people had been hurt in the Aleppo region.

AFP teams in the neighbouring city of Antakya reported feeling the tremor very intensely as it struck the Turkish town of Defne on Monday at 8:04 pm (1704 GMT). Cyprus and Lebanon were also affected.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake with its epicentre in the Samandag district of Hatay province was reported to have occurred three minutes later by Turkey's disaster management organization on Twitter.

Just 20 minutes after the first tremor on Monday, the agency noted two further 5.2 tremors.

“The road moved like waves. The building moved back and forth, the cars moved left to right. It knocked me off my feet,” said Mehmet Irmak, who works at a notary’s office in Antakya.

“Hatay is no longer a safe place. We could hear a lot of buildings collapsing,” said Irmak, who had been sleeping in his car for two weeks after the first quake.

“We will wait for a new day, but I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said.

Three of the dead were trapped after coming back to their damaged apartments to get their possessions, the AFAD said in a statement, warning others against doing the same.

The group announced on Tuesday that it was relocating 6,000 additional tents to the area to provide refuge for those in need.

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