Magnitude 5.2 earthquake in eastern Turkey raises fresh fears
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit Turkey’s eastern Malatya province at 4:04 p.m. local time on Jan. 25, almost one year after the deadly major quakes that jolted the region.
Duvar English
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 struck the eastern province of Malatya’s Battalgazi district at 4:04 p.m. local time on Jan. 25, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced.
Malatya Governor Ersin Yazıcı said they felt the quake “very seriously,” and they had not received any negative calls yet.
The earthquake was felt in neighboring provinces.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also said “Our teams reported that the earthquake was felt but no negative calls were received.”
Veteran seismologist Naci Görür said in a social media post that the quake occurred “probably on a fault segment that was not broken as a result of the Feb. 6 earthquakes. As you know, a significant amount of energy has been transferred to these areas.”
Another seismologist Şükrü Ersoy said in a CNN Türk live broadcast that there could be several aftershocks. “It is necessary to stay away from damaged buildings. On Feb. 6, such great energy emerged that the aftershock process has not finished yet.”
In August, 23 people were injured in Malatya after a magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolted the province.
The Jan. 25 quake in Malatya occurred almost one year after two deadly earthquakes that struck Turkey’s southeast on Feb. 6, one at a magnitude of 7.7 and the other at 7.6. Both quakes at the time were felt in Malatya province and caused major damages.
The Feb. 6 quakes claimed more than 50,000 lives according to official figures.