Turkey has been hit by another magnitude 5+ earthquake the day before, after massive twin quakes above magnitude 7.6 collapsed entire buildings and killed more than 5,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded in eastern Turkey at around 1:18 pm local time, according to the European Mediterranean Seismology Center (EMSC).
The epicenter of the quake is about 18 miles southeast of Malatya, population 441,000, where yesterday’s quake caused buildings to collapse and people trapped under rubble in the freezing cold.
“We were far away, but we felt the aftershock,” said one witness in Peyas, about 90 miles from the epicenter, who shared testimony with EMSC.
“It was strong,” said another witness in Idleb, Syria, 184 miles from the epicenter.
According to local media, victims of the earthquake in Malatya were waiting for help Bad weather and transport conditions have hampered recovery efforts, leaving it under rubble.
285 or more aftershocks
Turkey has experienced more than 285 aftershocks since two quakes struck the southeast of the country near the Syrian border on Monday.
The number of dead and injured from both Turkey and Syria rose sharply throughout Monday, with the death toll estimated at around 5,021.
Thousands more were injured, many trapped under the rubble, and rescue workers scrambling to help the victims.
At least 3,419 deaths have been confirmed in Turkey.
In Syria, state news agency SANA reported at least 1,602 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the death toll could reach around 20,000 in the next few days.
“Unfortunately, we always see the same thing with earthquakes: first reports say the number of dead or injured will increase significantly in the following weeks. Katherine Smallwood told AFP.
Smallwood added that the snowy conditions and freezing temperatures pose an additional danger to both those left without shelter and those still trapped under the rubble.
“Like the Apocalypse”
Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake, which struck before sunrise, collapsed entire buildings in Turkey and wreaked havoc on the Syrian people.
“We were rocked like a cradle. There were nine of us in the house. Told.
The quake was the world’s largest recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey since August 2021 in the remote South Atlantic Ocean.
“It was like an apocalypse,” Abdul Salam al-Mahmoud said in Ataleb, Syria. “It’s very cold and raining heavily. People need help.”
Rescuers in the Turkish city of Iskenderun clambered over a huge pile of rubble that was once part of the intensive care unit of the state hospital to search for survivors. Medical workers have done all they can to deal with the new influx of injured patients.
“I have a patient who had an operation and I don’t know what happened,” said Turin, a woman in her 30s who was standing outside the hospital.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called the incident a historic disaster and the worst earthquake since 1939.
“The winter season, the cold, and the earthquakes that happen in the middle of the night make things more difficult, but everyone is trying with all their hearts,” he said.
The second quake was large enough to collapse even more buildings and was felt throughout the area, endangering rescue teams struggling to drag casualties from the rubble.
Reuters contributed to this report.