Syria, Turkey Hit by 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake 2 Weeks after Quakes That Killed 44,000

By admin On Feb 21, 2023

Syria and Turkey were hit with another massive earthquake on Monday, just two weeks after the region was struck by two consecutive earthquakes that killed over 44,000 people.

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck at about 8:04 p.m. local time, near the city of Uzunbağ in Turkey’s far south and near Syria and the Mediterranean Sea. Just three minutes later, a magnitude 5.8 aftershock shook the region. Several weaker aftershocks followed.

As reported by NBC News, at least six people were killed, and 294 others were injured in Turkey. Two more died in Syria, and over 190 people were injured.

According to Reuters, the quake – which was felt as far as Egypt and Lebanon – damaged buildings in the city of Antakya. Several buildings collapsed in the Turkish coastal city of İskenderun, which was also left without electricity.

Muna Al Omar, a resident of Antakya, described her experience with the earthquake.

“I thought the earth was going to split open under my feet,” she told Reuters while crying and holding her 7-year-old son.

“Is there going to be another aftershock?” she asked.

Monday’s earthquake follows two large earthquakes – magnitudes 7.8 and 7.5 – that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6.

“It was very strong. It jolted us out of our places,” Burhan Abdelrahman, another resident in Antakya, said.

“I called relatives in Syria, Adana, Mersin, Izmir, everywhere, to check on them.”

Several Christian organizations launched relief efforts in Turkey and Syria following the Feb. 6 earthquakes.

Last week, as Christian Headlines reported, Samaritan’s Purse opened a 52-bed emergency hospital in Turkey.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Turkey and announced that America would send $100m in humanitarian aid and asserted that the US would assist with earthquake relief efforts “for as long as it takes.”

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.

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