ADANA, Turkey — A powerful new earthquake shook southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Monday evening, spreading panic among survivors two weeks after a powerful double tremor nearby destroyed more than 100,000 buildings, killed more than 46,000 people and left more than a million homeless.
The 6.3-magnitude quake struck near the town of Uzunbag in Turkey’s Hatay Province just after 5 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. The same province suffered widespread damage in the 7.8 magnitude quake that struck before dawn on Feb. 6, followed by a powerful aftershock a few hours later.
The shaking on Monday spread terror across the quake zone, where many people, traumatized by the initial quake, are staying in tents and sleeping in their cars because they remain too scared to to go inside any buildings.
People in tears evacuated a hotel in Adana, where a number of buildings had collapsed in the initial quake. The authorities in Turkey warned residents of the quake zone to stay away from damaged structures and the country’s national disaster management organization warned people in a tweet to stay away from Mediterranean coastline, fearing that the sea level could rise.
Cora Engelbrecht reported from Adana, Turkey, and Ben Hubbard from Istanbul.