Recent quake in Hatay felt in Middle East, North Africa

HATAY

The 6.4 and 5.8 magnitude Hatay-centered earthquakes have been also felt in North Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel and Egypt.

Syria, which has already been devastated by the Feb. 6 quakes, was also shaken by the recent tremors that occurred in Hatay.

A woman and a girl died as a result of panic during the earthquake in the provinces of Hama and Tartus, pro-government media outlets said.

The White Helmets, northwest Syria’s civil defense organization, said about 190 people suffered different injuries in rebel-held northwest Syria mostly cases of bruises and broken bones. It said that several flimsy buildings collapsed, adding that there were no cases in which people were stuck under the rubble.

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said five hospitals it supports in northwest Syria received several people who had sustained minor injuries, some when parts of damaged buildings fell on them.

Aleppo hospitals also received panic-stricken residents, while six people were injured by falling rubble, the state news agency SANA said.

Al Razi hospital in Aleppo received 47 cases, state media reported.

Following the quakes which also rattled several countries in the Middle East and northern Africa, many people rushed to reach the assembly areas in many provinces in Lebanon, especially the capital Beirut.

CNN Türk Nicosia Representative Ömer Bilge stated that the recent tremors were also felt in Turkish Cyprus.

“Cities such as Nicosia and Famagusta were shaken even in the aftershocks. This quake heavily rattled the buildings in [north] Cyprus,” Bilge noted.

Reminding that experts pointed to Cyprus for major quakes in the coming period, he added that the buildings in north Cyprus were not ready for a possible major tremor.