Buildings damaged by earthquake in eastern Turkey, rattles Syria

A magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck Turkey’s Malatya province on Wednesday, damaging several buildings but causing no casualties, according to the country’s disaster and emergency management authority (AFAD).

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that three buildings partially collapsed, yet no casualties were recorded.

The quake’s tremors were also felt in the Syrian provinces of Hasakah, Deir al-Zor, and Aleppo.

AFAD indicated that the earthquake occurred at 10:46 a.m. local time (0746 GMT), with its epicenter in the Kale district, roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Malatya city.

Inspections were conducted by AFAD, police, and gendarmerie security teams throughout the region, including Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Elazig, Batman, and Tunceli provinces.

Approximately 190 individuals received hospital treatment across six provinces, with 43 patients still under observation, Yerlikaya stated.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported the earthquake as having a magnitude of 6.1 and a depth of 9 kilometers (5.6 miles).