Earthquake of 5.6 magnitude hits Turkey; more buildings collapse

The death count in the series of earthquakes that have hit Turkey over the past few days has crossed 50,000 (Image: Reuters)

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkey on Monday — three weeks after a catastrophic temblor devastated the region — causing some buildings to collapse, an official said. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Monday’s earthquake was centered in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, the country’s disaster management agency said.

Yesilyurt’s mayor, Mehmet Cinar, told HaberTurk television that a few buildings had collapsed in the town.

Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces that was hit hard by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 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, Turkey’s disaster management agency, said that close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since Feb. 6.