Two more earthquakes hit Turkey, Syria; 'largest disaster since 1939', says Erdogan

Turkey and Syria reported two more massive quakes of 7.5 and 6 magnitudes in the afternoon pushing the death toll to nearly 2,000 with thousands of buildings turned into rubble and many feared stuck under it.

Ankara: Amid chaos and death caused by 7.8 magnitude earthquake -- the most powerful in nearly a century in the region, Turkey and Syria reported two more massive quakes of 7.5 and 6 magnitudes in the afternoon pushing the death toll to nearly 2,000 with thousands of buildings turned into rubble and many feared stuck under it.

According to reports quoting the United States Geological Survey, the second quake hit 4 km south-southeast of Ekinözü, Turkey. As per US Geological Survey, the second quake was centred about 33 kilometres from Gaziantep, about 26 kilometres (16 miles) from the town of Nurdagi. It was centred 18 kilometres (11 miles) deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), as per The Guardian, said that preliminary data showed the quake measured 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale, and was 67 km (42 miles) north north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2 km. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority stated that it was slightly smaller at 7.6 magnitude and at a greater depth.

Both Turkey and Syria witnessed more than 50 aftershocks, including 7.5 and a 6-magnitude tremors, that jolted the region in the middle of search and rescue work on Monday afternoon. Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management agency was centered in the town of Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province. The European Union is sending rescue teams and preparing further help for Turkey, the bloc's crisis management commissioner said. "Teams from the Netherlands and Romania are already on their way," with the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre overseeing their deployment, commissioner Janez Lenarcic tweeted.

The combined official death toll from the first quake in Turkey and Syria had already risen to over 1,900, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing it as the country’s largest disaster since 1939. Syria’s state news agency reported more than 500 dead in the country, with over 1,000 wounded.(With Agency inputs)