Turkey Shaken by Twin Earthquakes Again, Killing Three and Injuring Over 200

The latest round of quakes and aftershocks come just as Turkey and Syria were picking up the pieces.

Rescuers search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in quake-hit Besni district of Adiyaman Province, Turkey, on 8 February 2023. Image used for representational purposes only

(Photo: PTI)

Two earthquakes of 6.4 and 5.8 magnitude struck the southern part of Turkey on Monday, 20 February.

The latest: At least three people died and over 213 were injured as a result of Monday's earthquakes, according to Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu.

• More than 500 were wounded in the neighbouring country of Syria, as per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

• Aftershocks were reportedly felt in Egypt and Lebanon as well

The epicentre of the first earthquake was below the Defne district, which falls within Turkey's Hatay province, Turkey’s disaster management agency AFAD informed

• The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of just 2km (1.2 miles) which potentially magnified its impact at the ground-level, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said

Why it matters: The latest round of earthquakes and aftershocks come just as Turkey and Syria were picking up the pieces from the devastation caused by previous two earthquakes that were more powerful.

Earlier tragedy: Earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 in magnitude had rattled Turkey and Syria two weeks ago.

• The death toll from these quakes in both countries is approximately 47,000 and counting

• Over 385,000 apartments were reportedly decimated by the seismic activities and many people are reportedly still trapped under the rubble