5.5 magnitude earthquake strikes southern Turkey; no damage reported

Author: webdesk

An earthquake of 5.5 magnitude rattled Adana province in southern Turkey at 8:44 a.m. local time on Tuesday, according to Turkish authorities.

The earthquake was 11.2 kilometers deep, having its center in the Kozan district.

The earthquake in Turkey has also been certified by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The tremor was felt in the city center and nearby neighborhoods.

As the earthquake struck, people in the city began to panic and they rushed to the streets.

Preliminary reports suggest there was no severe damage or injuries.

The earthquake affected nearly half of the country’s southern region.

According to local media reports, after the latest earthquake, the area also witnessed aftershocks.

The media also reported that the quake was also felt in nearby Diyarbakır and Mersin provinces.

The latest earthquake comes months after the deadly ones in the country and in Syria too, which claimed more than 50,000 lives in both countries.

More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the February 6 earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

The UNDP said it estimated that the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, with 500,000 new homes needed.

The UNDP estimates that the disaster had produced between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble, compared with 13 million tons of rubble after the earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.

Among the survivors of the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are about 356,000 pregnant women who urgently need access to reproductive health services, the UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) said at the weekend.

It said many of the women are sheltering in camps or are living exposed to freezing temperatures, and struggling to get food or clean water, putting their health at risk.