JUST IN: 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Turkey Again

The southern Turkish province of Hatay has experienced a violent 6.4 magnitude earthquake, scaring residents who remain in the area that was ravaged by strong twin earthquakes two weeks earlier.

Less powerful than the initial 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that tore a path of destruction through southern Turkey and northern Syria on 6 February, the quake threatened further destruction in a region where many people had already fled their destroyed homes for safety in other towns and villages outside of the earthquake zone.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported that it only penetrated two kilometers (1.2 miles) below the surface, potentially amplifying its damage below ground. Its epicenter was close to the southern Turkish city of Antakya, and it was felt in Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt.

The 6.4 magnitude epicentre, according to Turkey’s disaster management agency AFAD, was in the Defne district of Hatay, a region on the southernmost tip of the regional hub Antakya that stretches towards the town of Samanda. These areas had previously complained about the government’s lackluster response to their suffering following the earthquakes two weeks prior.

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