عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Six Killed after Fresh Earthquake Hits Türkiye-Syria Border

This photograph shows a partially damaged building in Antakya, southern Türkiye on February 20, 2023, after a 6,4-magnitude second earthquake hit the Hatay province in southern Türkiye, in Antakya, on February 20, 2023, two weeks after a 7,8-magnitude one hit the first time the same region. (AFP)
This photograph shows a partially damaged building in Antakya, southern Türkiye on February 20, 2023, after a 6,4-magnitude second earthquake hit the Hatay province in southern Türkiye, in Antakya, on February 20, 2023, two weeks after a 7,8-magnitude one hit the first time the same region. (AFP)
TT
TT

Six Killed after Fresh Earthquake Hits Türkiye-Syria Border

This photograph shows a partially damaged building in Antakya, southern Türkiye on February 20, 2023, after a 6,4-magnitude second earthquake hit the Hatay province in southern Türkiye, in Antakya, on February 20, 2023, two weeks after a 7,8-magnitude one hit the first time the same region. (AFP)
This photograph shows a partially damaged building in Antakya, southern Türkiye on February 20, 2023, after a 6,4-magnitude second earthquake hit the Hatay province in southern Türkiye, in Antakya, on February 20, 2023, two weeks after a 7,8-magnitude one hit the first time the same region. (AFP)

Six people were killed in the latest earthquake to strike the border region of Türkiye and Syria, authorities said on Tuesday, two weeks after a large tremor killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

Monday's quake of magnitude 6.4 was centered near the Turkish city of Antakya and was felt in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon.

It was followed by 90 aftershocks, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, even as rescue work from the initial tremors on Feb. 6 have been winding down.

"I thought the earth was going to split open under my feet," said Muna Al Omar, holding her seven-year-old son. She now lives in a tent in a park in Antakya after the first quakes forced her from her home.

The Hatay provincial governor's building, damaged by the first quakes, collapsed in the latest tremor, television footage showed. Six thousand more tents were sent to the area overnight.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has faced criticism over what many Turks said was a slow emergency response to the first quake and over construction policies that meant thousands of apartment buildings crumbled on victims when disaster struck.

Erdogan, in power for two decades, faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May, although the disaster could prompt a delay. Even before the tremors, opinion polls showed he was under pressure from a cost of living crisis, which could worsen as the disaster has disrupted agricultural production.

He has promised a swift reconstruction effort, although experts say it could be a recipe for another disaster if safety steps are sacrificed in the race to rebuild.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 294 people had been injured in the latest quake, adding that patients were evacuated from some health facilities that had remained in operation after the first quakes, as buildings cracked.

In Samandag, where AFAD reported one person dead on Monday, residents said more buildings collapsed, although most people had already fled the town. Mounds of debris and discarded furniture lined the dark, abandoned streets.

'As long as it takes'

AFAD said the death toll in Türkiye from the Feb. 6 disaster had reached 41,156 and was expected to climb, while 385,000 apartments were known to have been destroyed or damaged.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Türkiye on Monday that Washington would help "for as long as it takes". The US State Department said US humanitarian assistance for Türkiye and Syria had reached $185 million.

Governments from around the world have pledged assistance.

The United Nations said the earthquake survivors included about 226,000 pregnant women in Türkiye and 130,000 in Syria, with about 39,000 due to deliver in the next month.

Many now live in camps in freezing conditions and with limited access to food and clean water.

In Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of war, most deaths have been in the northwest, where the United Nations said 4,525 people were killed. The area is controlled by opposition factions at war with President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria said 1,414 people were killed in areas under government control.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said 14 trucks with aid had entered northwestern Syria from Türkiye on Sunday. As of Monday morning, the United Nations said 197 trucks with UN aid had entered via two border crossings.

The World Food Program has been pressing the authorities to allow aid to pass from government-controlled areas.

Thousands of Syrian refugees in Türkiye have returned to their homes in northwest Syria to contact relatives caught up in the disaster or sending family members back to Syria after their homes in Türkiye were destroyed.

At the Turkish Cilvegozu border crossing, hundreds of Syrians lined up starting early on Monday to cross.

Mustafa Hannan, a 27-year-old Syrian, dropped off his pregnant wife and three-year-old son at the crossing to Syria, after their home in Antakya collapsed.

"I'm worried they won't be allowed back," he said. "If I rebuild here but they can't return, my life will be lost."

Most Viewed

 
 
World

A ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ Is Forecast for Fire-Scarred Los Angeles Area

An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
TT
TT

A ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ Is Forecast for Fire-Scarred Los Angeles Area

An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Millions of Southern Californians were on edge as a final round of dangerous fire weather was forecast for the region on Wednesday, along with a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes.

Firefighters got a reprieve Tuesday when winds were unexpectedly light and they were able to make progress battling the two huge Los Angeles area fires and quickly snuff out several new fires.

The Eaton Fire burning just north of Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire that destroyed much of the seaside LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what’s expected Wednesday. High winds last week pushed flames at remarkable speed and carried fire-sparking embers sometimes miles away.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings – done when temperatures are warm, humidity is low and strong winds are expected – from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. from the Central Coast 275 miles (443 kilometers) south to the border with Mexico. The “Particularly Dangerous Situation” was in effect for an area that includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“Key message: We are not out of the woods yet,” the weather service said in a post late Tuesday. “The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow.”

More than 77,000 households were without electricity as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.

A state of alert

Weary and anxious residents were told to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the skies and on each other: Police announced roughly 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes.

Of those, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after being seen setting small fires that were immediately extinguished, LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. One was using a barbecue lighter, another ignited brush and a third tried to light a trash can, he said. All were far outside the disaster zones. Authorities have not determined a cause for any of the major fires.

Among nine people charged with looting was a group that stole an Emmy award from an evacuated house, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

The biggest worry remained the threat from intense winds. Now backed by firefighters from other states, Canada and Mexico, crews were deployed to attack flareups or new blazes. The firefighting force was much bigger than a week ago, when the first wave of fires began destroying thousands of homes in what could become the nation's costliest fire disaster.

Kaylin Johnson and her family planned to spend the night at their home, one of the few left standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to keep watch to ward off looting and to hose down the house and her neighbors’ properties to prevent flareups.

Preparing for another outbreak

Planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines deployed to particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials who were criticized over their initial response expressed confidence that the region is ready to face the new threat. The mayor said she was able to fly over the disaster areas, which she described as resembling the aftermath of a “dry hurricane.”

Winds this time were not expected to reach the same fierce speeds seen last week but they could ground firefighting aircraft, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

He urged homeless people to avoid starting fires for warmth and to seek shelter.

Wildfires on the rise across LA

With almost no rain in more than eight months, the brush-filled region has had more than a dozen wildfires this year, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.

Firefighters have jumped on small blazes that popped up, quickly smothering several in Los Angeles county, including a blaze Tuesday evening in the Angeles National Forest.

The four largest fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), roughly three times the size of Manhattan. Of these, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was roughly one-third contained, while the largest blaze, in Pacific Palisades on the coast, was far less contained.

The death toll is likely to rise, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. Nearly 30 people were still missing, he said Tuesday. Some people reported as missing earlier have been found.

Just under 90,000 people in the county remained under evacuation orders, half the number from last week.

Hollywood on hold Hollywood’s awards season has been put on hiatus because of the crisis. The Oscar nominations have been delayed twice, and some organizations postponed their awards shows and announcements without rescheduling.