Damaged buildings collapse after fresh quake in eastern Turkiye

Turkey’s AFAD disaster agency has recorded almost 10,000 aftershocks after the February 6 quake, which damaged some 173,000 buildings. (AFP)

• Some 173,000 buildings are believed to have sustained damage from the February 6 earthquake, according to local media reports

ANKARA: A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkiye on Monday — three weeks after a catastrophic temblor devastated the region — causing some already damaged buildings to collapse and killing at least one person, authorities said.
More than 100 others were injured as a result of the earthquake which was centered in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, Yunus Sezer, the chief of the country’s disaster management agency, AFAD, told reporters. More than two dozen buildings collapsed.
A father and daughter who were trapped beneath the rubble of a four-story building in Yesilyurt were rescued with injuries. The pair had entered the damaged building to collect belongings.
Elsewhere in Malatya, search-and-rescue teams were sifting through the rubble of two damaged buildings that toppled on top of some parked cars, trapping three people, HaberTurk reported.
Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkiye and northern Syria on Feb. 6.
That quake led to more than 48,000 deaths in both countries as well as the collapse or serious damage of 185,000 buildings in Turkiye.
AFAD’s chief urged people not to enter damaged buildings saying strong aftershocks continue to pose a risk. More than 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since Feb. 6.
Meanwhile, fans of Turkish soccer team Besiktas threw stuffed toys on the field during a match on Sunday to support children affected by the earthquake. Toys and winter clothing were thrown on the stadium’s grounds to be donated to children in the earthquake-hit regions.