5.6 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook southern Turkiye on Monday three weeks after a catastrophic temblor devastated the region, causing some already damaged buildings to collapse and killing at least one person, said the country’s disaster management agency, AFAD.

Another 69 people were injured as a result of the earthquake which was centred in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, AFAD’s chief Yunus Sezer told reporters. More than two dozen buildings collapsed. Yesilyurt’s Mayor Mehmet Cinar told HaberTurk television that a father and daughter were trapped beneath the rubble of a four-story building in the town. The duo had entered the damaged building to collect belongings.

Also read: Three dead, 213 injured as fresh 6.4 magnitude quake rattles Turkey, Syria

Elsewhere in Malatya, search-and-rescue teams were sifting through the rubble of two damaged buildings that toppled on top of some parked cars, HaberTurk reported. Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6. That quake led to more than 48,000 deaths in both countries, apart from collapse or serious damage of 173,000 buildings in Turkey.

AFAD’s chief urged people not to enter damaged buildings saying strong aftershocks continue to pose a risk. Close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since February 6.

(With Agency inputs)