Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes eastern Turkey, 1 killed

The magnitude- 5.6 earthquake occurred in Malatya Province at around 12:04pm on Monday Feb. 27. The epicenter was about 8 km (5 miles) south-southeast of Yesilyurt. 

Turkey's earthquake death toll rises to 44,374

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Türkiye on Monday — three weeks after a catastrophic temblor devastated the region — causing some already damaged buildings to collapse and killing at least one person, the country's disaster management agency, AFAD, said.

Another 69 people were injured as a result of the earthquake which was centered in the town of Yeşilyurt in Malatya province, AFAD's chief Yunus Sezer told reporters. More than two dozen buildings collapsed.

Yeşilyurt’s mayor, Mehmet Çınar, told HaberTurk television that a father and daughter were trapped beneath the rubble of a four-story building in the town. The pair had entered the damaged building to collect belongings.

Elsewhere in Malatya, search-and-rescue teams were sifting through the rubble of two damaged buildings that toppled on top of some parked cars, HaberTurk reported.

Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Türkiye 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 Türkiye.

AFAD's chief urged people not to enter damaged buildings saying strong aftershocks continue to pose a risk. Close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since Feb. 6.