New 6.4 earthquake strikes Turkey as death toll climbs to nearly 47,000

(SAMANDAG, Turkey) — Turkey was hit with another earthquake Monday as a 6.4 earthquake rattled Samandag even as the country is still cleaning up from one of the worst natural disasters in its history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of damage, injuries or deaths from officials.

Samandag is located in Hatay province, which suffered catastrophic damage in the quake that struck on Feb. 6.

Several civilians were injured in Syria after the latest quake struck, the White Helmets, the Syria Civil Defense Unit, tweeted. Several balconies and walls collapsed from the tremors, the White Helmets tweeted.

“Several civilians injured from falling building debris, stampedes, and jumping from high areas. Additionally, in Jenderes, north of Aleppo two uninhabited buildings and the minaret of a mosque collapsed,” the organization tweeted.

There were no immediate reports of deaths.

At a Turkish camp for 700 people who are now homeless from the prior earthquake, buildings shook for about 15 seconds around 8 p.m. local time and lights went off in the distance.

Most of the people in the camp were sitting outside huddling around fires to keep warm when the earthquake occurred. Many started praying and shouting to get away from buildings.

Several aftershocks were felt following the initial quake.

Monday’s quake comes as officials from Turkey and Syria said the death toll from the quake that struck two weeks ago has reached 46,957 total, with 41,156 in Turkey and 5,801 in Syria.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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