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Felt by 5 countries, the latest Turkey-Syria earthquake killed 8 people. Photos/Illustrations
ANKARA – At least 8 people died after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Turki and Syria two weeks after the devastating earthquake and aftermath killed nearly 46 thousand people and demolished thousands of buildings in both countries.
The quake that struck on Monday night was centered in the Defne district of Turkey’s Hatay province, which was the worst-hit area by the 7.8 magnitude quake on February 6.
Turkey’s disaster management authority, AFAD, said the new quake killed six people and injured 294 others, including 18 who were in critical condition.
In Syria, pro-government media reported, a woman and a girl died from panic when the earthquake was felt in the provinces of Hama and Tartus.
Read: Turkey has been shaken by an earthquake again, this time with a magnitude of 6.3
Monday’s earthquake was also felt in Jordan, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Egypt. Aftershocks measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale also occurred along with dozens of aftershocks.
Turkish officials have warned citizens not to go into the rubble of their homes, but some residents are desperate to take what they can. Three of the people who died on Monday were inside the four-story building that was damaged when the new quake hit.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) said Monday’s quake frightened employees distributing food to hundreds of thousands of people in northwestern Syria and Turkey.
Read: Erdogan: 114,000 People Saved in Operations to Search for Earthquake Victims
“Employees slept in their cars in the freezing cold while still trying to do their job,” said the WFP.
