Second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 hits Turkey's south: Disaster agency
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Syrian rescue teams search for survivors under the rubble after an earthquake in the Syrian city of Hama on Feb 6.
PHOTO: AFP
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ISTANBUL – A second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck southeastern Turkey’s Kahramanmaras region on Monday, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said.
It occurred at a depth of 7km, AFAD said, adding that the epicentre of the quake was Elbistan region of Kahramanmaras province.
Less than 12 hours earlier, a major quake of magnitude 7.8 struck the same region, leading to more than 1,300 deaths across Turkey and Syria.
Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan described the quake as the country’s “largest disaster” since 1939, when a major quake struck the eastern province of Erzincan.
“Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts, although the winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night make things more difficult,” he told reporters in a news conference at Turkey’s disaster coordination centre in Ankara.
“We do not know how high the casualty numbers will go as efforts to lift the debris continue in several buildings in the earthquake zone,” he said. REUTERS
