A new earthquake of magnitude 6.4 has shaken this Monday the Turkish province of Hatay, one of the most affected by the earthquakes on February 6 that have left at least 41,000 dead.
Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency AFAD warned the population to move away from the coast after the quake, due to the risk of a tsunami that would raise the waters 50 centimeters above sea level.
The tremor, with its epicenter south of the city of Antioch, occurred at 17:04 GMT, according to data from the Kandilli observatory in Istanbul, and was also felt in neighboring countries.
The Alejandreta hospital has had to be evacuated. It had just been reopened last week, after the health system in the area collapsed due to the 7.8 earthquake that shook the southeast of the country on Monday, February 6.
The governor of Hatay, Lütfü Sava, said on television that buildings have collapsed in Samanda, Antioch, Defne… “Unfortunately, there are messages that there are people under the rubble. Some entered because the house was kept intact, others wanted to remove belongings…”
Both Antioch and Samandag suffered power cuts after today’s earthquake. Both cities have spent the past two weeks with virtually no electricity or running water. “The earthquake has lasted a long time. People were already in the street but there was a lot of panic, a nearby building has collapsed, we believe that there is no one inside but we have heard other buildings creaking, people are afraid that they will fall on top of them” , says Anil Bingol, a volunteer in Antioquia.
In Adana, one of the provinces affected by the earthquake two weeks ago, the city had completely recovered normality in the streets, with restaurants and shops open. During today’s tremor, people have panicked onto the streets of buildings and shops and thousands are expected to spend the night again in tents or in their private vehicles. “We have fear in our bodies. Today again, people were running everywhere. It was a very strong earthquake,” describes Zeynep Keskin, a resident of Adana.
The Governor of Gaziantep, Davut Gül, pointed out that in his province there are no victims but there is a risk of buildings collapsing, so he has alerted the population to stay away from damaged buildings.
Carlos Ortega, translator at the field hospital set up by Spain in Alejandreta (in the same province where the earthquake occurred): “Many panic attacks are now arriving, ambulances with patients with blows, but above all, many frightened people, many people with a lot of fear.”
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