MORE QUAKE MISERY
8 dead, nearly 300 hurt in Turkey and Syria after latest temblor, aftershocks
Monday’s 6.4-magnitude earthquake killed eight people in Turkey and Syria, officials and local media said Tuesday. They are the latest casualties in an area already hit hard by quakes earlier this month.
Six of the deaths occurred in Turkey, where 294 people were injured, the country’s emergency agency AFAD said. Eighteen of the injured victims were in critical condition.
A woman and a girl also died in Syria, according to pro-government media. Nearly 200 others were injured in rebel-held areas, according to the civil defense group The White Helmets.
The new earthquake struck in Hatay province and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude quake and dozens of aftershocks.
“It shook a little, then it grew strong,” Zuher Capar, a 42-year-old teacher, told The Associated Press. “The electricity went, and there were screams everywhere. There were small children in the house. They were screaming, my aunt was crying.”
Officials say more than 42,000 people died and more than 100,000 buildings collapsed in Turkey after 7.8-magnitude and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck nine hours apart two weeks ago.
The disaster affected 13.5 million people across 11 Turkish provinces, including many who were displaced from their homes. About 865,000 people were still living in tents Tuesday, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“When you see the extent of the damage, the number of buildings, the number of apartments, the number of homes that have been destroyed — it’s going to take a massive effort to rebuild,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who toured the destruction in Hatay via helicopter Sunday.
“The most important thing right now is to get assistance to people who need it, to get them through the winter and to get them back on their feet.”
The U.S. said it would contribute an additional $100 million to the relief efforts on top of President Biden’s previous announcement of $85 million.