Fresh quake topples buildings in southern Turkey

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake has shaken southern Turkey, three weeks after a catastrophic tremor devastated the region.

The quake centred in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province caused some already-damaged buildings to collapse, killing at least one person, the country’s disaster management agency (AFAD) said.

Another 69 people were injured as a result of the quake, AFAD’s chief Yunus Sezer told reporters. More than two dozen buildings were said to have collapsed.

A father and daughter who were trapped beneath the rubble of a four-storey building in Yesilyurt were rescued with injuries. The pair had entered the damaged building to collect belongings.

Elsewhere in Malatya, search-and-rescue teams were sifting through the rubble of two damaged buildings that toppled on top of some parked cars, HaberTurk TV reported.

Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6.

That quake led to more than 48,000 deaths in both countries as well as the collapse or serious damage of 173,000 buildings in Turkey.

AFAD’s chief urged people not to enter damaged buildings saying strong aftershocks continue to pose a risk.

Close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since February 6.

The World Bank said on Monday that it estimates the massive earthquake caused £28.4 billion in “direct damages” – equivalent to 4% of the country’s GDP in 2021.

The recovery and reconstruction cost could be much higher, potentially twice as large, the World Bank said, adding that GDP losses would also add to the earthquake’s cost.

Meanwhile, fans of Turkish soccer team Besiktas threw stuffed toys on the field during a match on Sunday to support children affected by the earthquake.

Toys and winter clothing were thrown on the stadium’s grounds to be donated to children in the earthquake-hit regions.