Two more earthquakes hit southern Türkiye, magnitudes 6.4 and 5.8

Türkiye’s southernmost Hatay province were hit by two new earthquakes (6.4 and 5.8) during the evening hours of February 20, 2023, just two weeks after major quakes hit the region, the country’s disaster management agency said.

According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), one of the quakes took place at around 8.04 p.m. local time (1704GMT) in the Defne district of Hatay, with a magnitude of 6.4, while the other took place three minutes later, with the epicenter in Hatay’s Samandag province, with a magnitude of 5.8.

The first quake took place at a depth of 16.7 kilometers (10.4 miles), while the second was at a depth of 7 km (4.3 miles). Both were felt in surrounding areas.

The quakes of two weeks ago, though centered in Kahramanmaras, 100 kilometers or more from Hatay, caused extensive damage in Hatay.

AFAD issued warnings urging citizens to avoid coastal areas as a precaution against the risk of a rise in the sea level, which could reach up to 50 centimeters (1.6 feet).

Anadolu correspondents reported that some buildings have collapsed after the earthquakes, which were also felt in neighboring Syria. ​​​​​​​

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes centered in Kahramanmaras struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Elazig. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

At least 41,000 people were killed by the massive earthquakes in Türkiye, according to the latest official figures. Thousands of others were injured.