Six killed after fresh earthquake hits Turkey-Syria border

Six radical were killed successful the latest earthquake to onslaught the borderline portion of Turkey and Syria, authorities said connected Tuesday, 2 weeks aft a monolithic tremor killed much than 47,000 radical and damaged oregon destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

Monday's quake of magnitude 6.4 was centered adjacent the Turkish metropolis of Antakya and was felt successful Syria, Egypt and Lebanon.

It was followed by 90 aftershocks, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, adjacent arsenic rescue enactment from the archetypal tremors connected Feb. 6 person been winding down.

"I thought the world was going to divided unfastened nether my feet," said Muna Al Omar, holding her seven-year-old son. She present lives successful a structure successful a parkland successful Antakya aft the Feb. 6 quake, with a magnitude 7.8, forced her retired of her home.

President Tayyip Erdogan's authorities has faced disapproval astir what galore Turks said was a dilatory exigency effect to the archetypal quake and implicit operation policies that meant thousands of flat buildings crumbled connected victims erstwhile catastrophe struck.

Erdogan, successful powerfulness for 2 decades, faces statesmanlike and parliamentary elections successful May, though the catastrophe could punctual a delay. Even earlier the tremors, sentiment polls showed helium was nether unit from a outgo of surviving crisis, which could worsen arsenic the catastrophe has disrupted cultivation production.

He has promised a swift reconstruction effort, though experts accidental it could beryllium a look for different catastrophe if information steps are sacrificed successful the contention to rebuild.

"We won't tally distant from the ballot container oregon disregard democracy," said Devlet Bahceli, an Erdogan state and person of the nationalist enactment MHP, adding that the absorption was "obsessed and delusional" for criticizing the government's earthquake effect and for discussing the predetermination timing.

"Turkey ... volition hide you astatine the ballot container soon," helium said.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 294 radical had been injured successful the latest quake, adding that patients were evacuated from immoderate wellness facilities that had remained successful cognition aft the archetypal quakes, arsenic buildings cracked.

'As agelong arsenic it takes'

In Antakya, 1 antheral hugged and consoled different who was crying aft quality astir radical killed successful the already shattered metropolis aft they had entered a gathering to retrieve possessions erstwhile the latest earthquake struck, bringing the operation down.

A rescue squad lowered 1 of the dead, covered successful a yellowish bag, down a ladder from the destroyed flat block, earlier it was placed successful a coffin to beryllium transported successful a municipal van.

AFAD said the decease toll successful Turkey from the Feb. 6 catastrophe had reached 41,156 and was expected to climb, portion 385,000 apartments were known to person been destroyed oregon damaged.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said successful Turkey connected Monday that Washington would assistance "for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes". The U.S. State Department said U.S. humanitarian assistance for Turkey and Syria had reached $185 million.

Governments from astir the satellite person pledged assistance.

In Syria, already shattered by much than a decennary of war, astir deaths person been successful the northwest, wherever the United Nations said 4,525 radical were killed. The country is controlled by insurgents astatine warfare with President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria said 1,414 radical were killed successful areas nether authorities control.

The World Food Programme has been pressing the authorities to let assistance to walk from government-controlled areas.

Thousands of Syrian refugees successful Turkey person returned to their homes successful northwest Syria to interaction relatives caught up successful the catastrophe oregon person sent household members backmost to Syria aft their homes successful Turkey were destroyed.

At the Turkish Cilvegozu borderline crossing, hundreds of Syrians lined up starting aboriginal connected Monday to cross.

Mustafa Hannan, a 27-year-old Syrian, dropped disconnected his large woman and three-year-old lad astatine the crossing to Syria, aft their location successful Antakya collapsed.

"I'm disquieted they won't beryllium allowed back," helium said. "If I rebuild present but they can't return, my beingness volition beryllium lost."