Another Large Earthquake Rattles Turkey, Syria

Another strong earthquake struck Turkey’s Hatay province on Monday, the same region devastated by a massive tremor two week ago, per the AP. The quake, measured initially at magnitude 6.3, hit the southern part of the province, near the border with Syria, reports CNN. Syria's state news agency, SANA, already is reporting six people have been injured in Aleppo from falling debris, while the mayor of Hatay says a number of buildings have collapsed, trapping people inside. Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, said the new quake was centered around the town of Defne, in Hatay province.

It was followed by a second, magnitude 5.8 tremor. In the Turkish city of Adana, eyewitness Alejandro Malaver said people left homes for the streets, carrying blankets into their cars. Malaver said that everyone is really scared and that “no one wants to get back into their houses.” The quake also was felt in Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Feb. 6 has killed nearly 45,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks since.

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