A strong earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale has caused multiple buildings to collapse in the city of Malatya, southeastern Turkey, resulting in at least one death and 69 injuries.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey (AFAD) reported that the 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Malatya at 12:04 PM local time on February 27 (4:04 PM Hanoi time), leading to the collapse of numerous homes. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted that the earthquake had a depth of 5-10 km.
Smoke and dust rise after the earthquake in Malatya, southeastern Turkey. (Video: Twitter/TheInsiderPaper).
AFAD Director Yunus Sezer stated that at least one person has died, and 69 others have been injured, while many appear to be trapped under the rubble. At least 29 buildings have collapsed, and rescue teams are being deployed at the scene to search for victims.
AFAD officials mentioned that there have been at least four earthquakes and 45 aftershocks measuring between 5 and 6 in magnitude in the area over the past three weeks, emphasizing that this is an “extremely unusual level of activity.”
Malatya is the capital of the province of the same name in southeastern Turkey, bordering Kahramanmaraş province, which was the epicenter of two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 7.8 that resulted in over 50,000 fatalities in Turkey and Syria earlier this month.
The earthquake on February 6 caused more than 160,000 buildings, including 520,000 apartments, to collapse or sustain severe damage. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that 1.5 million people in Turkey are now homeless, and authorities need to construct approximately 500,000 new homes. Economic experts estimate that Ankara will require about 100 billion USD for the reconstruction of housing and public infrastructure.
