Turkey Jerks: Hours after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattled southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, another jolted central Turkey. According to a report by the United States Geological Survey, the fresh earthquake had a magnitude of 7.5.
Earlier today more than 1,300 people had died and hundreds are believed to be still trapped under the debris. The death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched mounds of debris in cities and towns across the region.
Some four million people have been displaced from other parts of the country by the fighting in opposition-held areas in Syria. Many of them live in buildings that have already been ruined by the bombings. The White Helmets opposition emergency organization said in a statement that hundreds of families were trapped under the rubble.
Rescuers said strained health facilities and hospitals were quickly filled with the injured. Others, including the maternity hospital, had to be evacuated, according to the SAMS medical organization.
More than 18,000 people died in a similar earthquake.
It is noteworthy that this was not the first time that the country witnessed such a powerful earthquake, in which more than a thousand people died.
Earlier in 1999, more than 18,000 people were killed in a severe earthquake in northwest Turkey. According to the US Geological Survey, the region lies on top of major fault lines, which result in frequent earthquakes.
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