Strong aftershock kills 2, injures 140 in Türkiye's Malatya

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) – At least two people have died and another 140 were injured after Monday’s strong aftershock in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province, according to disaster management agency AFAD.

The magnitude 5.6 tremor destroyed 31 buildings, AFAD said in an update on Tuesday.

Rescue teams completed search operations at seven sites and have so far pulled out 32 people from the rubble, the agency said.

Of the injured, 40 are under treatment and at least 12 of them are in serious condition, AFAD said.

The tremor was also felt in the neighboring provinces of Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, and Sanliurfa.

The agency recorded another magnitude 4.1 temblor in Malatya at 5.18 a.m. local time (0818GMT) on Tuesday.

It was centered in the district of Yesilyurt and occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.34 miles), according to an AFAD update.

The tremors come as Türkiye deals with the aftermath of the devastating Feb. 6 quakes that have claimed more than 44,300 lives in the country’s southern region.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in Kahramanmaras, have impacted some 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.

Over 10,200 aftershocks have been reported since the deadly twin tremors, according to AFAD.​​​​​​​