Magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Turkey; more buildings collapse

An official sayid a magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkey causing some damaged buildings to collapse

A view of the destroyed neighbourhood in Turkey following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the country in the early hours of February 6, 2023, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor just after midday. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkey on Monday — three weeks after a catastrophic temblor devastated the region — causing some buildings to collapse, an official said. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Monday’s earthquake was centered in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, the country’s disaster management agency said.

Yesilyurt’s mayor, Mehmet Cinar, told HaberTurk television that a few buildings had collapsed in the town.

Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces that was hit hard by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6.

That quake led to more than 48,000 deaths in both countries as well as the collapse or serious damage of 1,73,000 buildings in Turkey.

AFAD, Turkey’s disaster management agency, said that close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since February 6.