Earthquake Of 5.5 Magnitude Hits Central Turkiye, 37th Tremor In 66 Hours: Report

This is the 37th felt earthquake in Central Turkey in the last 66 hours, European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

An aerial view of heavy duty machines and trucks working on collapsed buildings and damaged roads after twin earthquakes hit Kahramanmaras in Turkiye.

Source : Getty Images

New Delhi: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale jolted central Turkiye on Saturday, European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

According to news agency Reuters, the quake occurred at a depth of 10km.

This is the 37th felt earthquake in Central Turkiye in the last 66 hours, according to EMSC.

Notably, Saturday’s quake comes just weeks after the border areas of the country were devastated by by a larger earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Meanwhile, Turkiye began work to rebuild homes after the last devastating earthquakes, a government official said on Friday.

Over 1,60,000 buildings with 5,20,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the massive earthquakes on February 6, that killed thousands of people in Turkiye and neighbouring Syria.

As per the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the death count in Turkiye due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night. With Syria's latest announced toll of 5,914, the combined death count  rose to above 50,000.

President Tayyip Erdogan has promised to rebuild the damaged houses within a year, although experts have said that the authorities should put safety before speed.

Some of the buildings that were meant to withstand the tremors crumbled in the recent earthquakes.

"For several projects, tenders and contracts have been done. The process is moving very fast," Reuters quoted an official as saying. He further added that there would be no compromise on safety.

According to authorities, tents have been dispatched for the many who are rendered homeless, but people have reported trouble accessing them.

Notably, Erdogan's government has faced a wave of criticism over both its response to the devastation and what the people say were years of non-enforcement of construction quality control.

As per reports, the government's initial plan now is to build 2,00,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses, at a cost of $15 billion. The UNDP said it estimated that the destruction has left over 1.5 million people homeless, with at least 5,00,000 new homes needed.