Another 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the southern parts of Türkiye on Monday killing at least three people and leaving hundreds more injured, according to Turkish officials.
This comes two weeks after a 7.8-magnitude quake rocked parts of Türkiye and Syria leaving more than 46 000 people dead in both countries. Some people who are still missing are believed to have been buried under collapsed buildings while scores others have been left homeless.
The Türkiye disaster and emergency management agency said the earthquake on Monday hit the southern Hatay province near the border with Syria. Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the quake’s epicentre was in the province’s Defne district and added that there have been 26 aftershocks since.
“At least three people were killed and 294 people were injured following Monday’s aftershocks,” according to Turkish officials.
Rescue teams worked over night to reach three men who were trapped in a building that survived the initial quake in the city of Antakya.
The White Helmets volunteer rescue group said: “In northwest Syria, more than 130 people were injured in Monday’s quake. Several buildings have collapsed.
“Our teams are working to take the injured to hospitals, inspect the affected villages and towns, and remove rubble to open the roads for ambulances to pass.”
The US Geological Survey initially reported the quake as being of magnitude 6.4 at a depth of 10km before revising it down to 6.3 magnitude.
On Sunday, Türkiye’s disaster management authority said: “We have ended most search and rescue operations nearly two weeks after the earthquake struck as experts say the chances of survival for people trapped in the rubble this far into the disaster are unlikely.”
However, some search and rescue efforts remain in the provinces of Kahramanmaraş and Hatay.
The state news agency Anadolu reported at the weekend that a couple and its 12-year-old child was rescued in Hatay, 296 hours after the earthquake hit.
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