Death toll from Malatya aftershock rises to two

Photo: AA

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Two people were killed and 140 others were injured in yesterday's (February 27) earthquake in the eastern Malatya province, according to an update from Türkiye's disaster agency.

Forty of the injured are under treatment, including 12 in serious condition, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said today.

The magnitude 5.6 earthquake was an aftershock from the massive earthquakes in Maraş on February 6, said the agency.

Tremors of the quake were also felt in the cities of Maraş, Antep, Adıyaman and Urfa.

Some buildings that were damaged in the double earthquake collapsed in Malatya. Thirty-two people have been rescued from the rubble.

Yunus Sezer, head of the AFAD, warned citizens to stay away from damaged buildings.

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş. The first quake in the Pazarcık district at 4.17 a.m. was followed by the second one in Elbistan about nine hours later.

The quakes affected 11 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts.

The official death toll from the quakes stands at over 44,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 160,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures.

Nearly two million people have been displaced due to the earthquakes.

At least 203 people were arrested in investigations into collapsed buildings. (AÖ/VK)