An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale has shaken southern Turkey on Monday, near the Mediterranean coast.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake three kilometers from the town of Uzunbag in Hatay province at 6:04 p.m. local time.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), under the Turkish Interior Ministry, reported two earthquakes of 6.4 and 5.8 magnitude in Hatay separated by just three minutes.
«Our teams are on alert and responding quickly to these reports. We are still analyzing field data,» he said on Twitter, while warning against entering or approaching damaged buildings.
AFAD has called on the public to stay away from the coast as a precaution against the risk of sea level rise of up to 50 centimeters.
The Turkish vice-president, Fuat Oktay, urged people to stay away from the damaged buildings and to follow the instructions of the authorities. Also the governor of Hatay, Rahmi Dogan, has echoed the new earthquakes, reports the Anatolia news agency. Dogan said they are assessing the situation.
From the province of Adana, its governor, Süleyman Elban, has assured that there has been no collapse due to these new earthquakes despite some rumors spread on social networks. In that city, some patients of the Balcali University Hospital have been evacuated on stretchers.
These new earthquakes have also been felt in Syrian territory, specifically in cities such as Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Afrin, Azez, Jarablus, Tel Abiad. They were also felt in Lebanon, including its capital, Beirut, in Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Egypt.
On February 6, two earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.7 on the Richter scale caused enormous damage in Turkey and Syria and have claimed the lives of more than 41,000 people.
