Magnitude 5.6 quake hits Turkey; more buildings collapse

Just three weeks after a catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria, another earthquake hit the region on February 27. The magnitude 5.6 earthquake was centered in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, causing already damaged buildings to collapse and leaving a father and daughter trapped beneath the rubble of one building.

According to Yesilyurt's mayor, Mehmet Cinar, a number of buildings in the town collapsed, including a four-story building where the father and daughter were trapped after entering to collect their belongings. Search-and-rescue teams were also sifting through the rubble of another building that toppled onto parked cars in Malatya.

This recent earthquake adds to the toll of the Feb. 6 quake, which resulted in over 48,000 deaths in both Turkey and Syria, and the collapse or serious damage of 173,000 buildings in Turkey alone. The disaster management agency reported that almost 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region since the initial quake.

As the region continues to recover from the devastating effects of the Feb. 6 earthquake, this latest earthquake serves as a reminder of the ongoing risks and challenges that residents and rescue workers continue to face in southern Turkey.