1 killed after magnitude 5.6 quake hits Turkiye eastern Malatya province

At least one person was killed after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolted Turkiye’s eastern Malatya province on Monday, weeks after two massive tremors shook the region, according to the country’s Disaster Management Agency, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Some 69 others were also injured, Yunus Sezer, head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) told reporters.

The earthquake occurred at 12.04 p.m. local time (0904GMT) and was centred 6.96 kilometres (4.32 miles) below the surface in the district of Yesilyurt.

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The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, and Sanliurfa provinces.

“It was determined that some buildings were destroyed in the quake. Search and rescue teams have been dispatched to the disaster area,” AFAD said on Twitter.

The Disaster Management Agency warned citizens against entering damaged structures and asked them to stay away from risky buildings in the region.

Locals rushed to open areas after the quake.

The tremor came as Turkiye continues to deal with the aftermath of the devastating 6 February twin earthquakes in the country’s southern region.

At least 44,374 people have died due to those back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6.

Their epicentre was in Kahramanmaras province, Malatya’s south-western neighbour, and struck nine other Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

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