Second massive earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hits Turkey as death toll surpasses 1,400

A second powerful earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hit southeast Turkey on Monday afternoon, according to US Geological Survey just a few hours after a previous earthquake killed over 1,400 people in the region. USGS stated that the epicentre for the earthquake was some miles from Ekinözü which is a town in the Mediterranean region.

The depth of the earthquake was recorded to be six miles, which proved more devastating as shallow earthquakes rock the region more significantly. According to the map, the tremor was felt across the border in Aleppo along with its surrounding areas.



Several videos and images emerged on social media showing multiple buildings collapsing and the second quake struck around 10:24 am. In Urfa, people were seen running away from a street which was around 144 miles from the epicentre.

The damage after the second earthquake was not immediately clear but search and rescue operations were still on as infrastructure was damaged. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake came just a couple of hours after an earthquake hit Gaziantep in southeast Turkey which is 100 miles from Ekinozu.

The first earthquake, which killed over 1,400 people, hit the nation at 4:17 am and was of 7.8 magnitudes on the Richter scale. It was also one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the region in at least 100 days. As per reports, Turkish disaster agency official confirmed that both earthquakes were independent of each other.

The aftershock was felt even in the eastern Mediterranean island country of Cyprus. The earthquake swept out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region filled with millions of people who fled the Syrian civil war. The head of Syria’s National Earthquake Centre Raed Ahmed noted that it was “the biggest earthquake” recorded in history.


Several media reports have stated that 560 people died in both rebel and government-controlled parts of Syria along with 912 people who died in Turkey, as stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The initial earthquake was followed by multiple aftershocks.

FAQs:

1. What is an earthquake?
   Sudden violent shaking of the ground.
2. What were the magnitudes of both earthquakes?
   7.8 and 7.5.