A 6.4-magnitude earthquake and a 5.8-magnitude earthquake have struck Turkey's southern province of Hatay, terrifying people who remain in the region ravaged by twin earthquakes two weeks ago.
The latest quakes, which are less powerful than the 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that ripped through southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, threaten even more devastation in a region where many people have fled their destroyed homes for the safety of other towns and villages outside the quake zone.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the larger quake hit at a depth of only 2km (1.2 miles), potentially increasing its impact at ground level. It was felt in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon and was centred in the southern Turkish city of Antakya.
The epicentre of the larger quake occurred underneath the Defne district of Hatay, according to Turkey's disaster management agency AFAD, in an area where many have complained about a lacklustre government response to the earlier earthquakes.
"It was the first day we'd decided to stay in our house because it's only one floor, and I was using our heater to try to stay warm, demonstrating what to do in case another earthquake happened," said Ata Koşar, who lost his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew when their nearby luxury apartment block collapsed during the earthquakes two weeks ago.
"I was sleeping on the floor when another earthquake struck. We heard what sounded like more buildings collapse, as well as further damage to our house."
The mayor of Hatay, Lütfü Savaş, expressed urgent alarm that the recent quakes had caused much more havoc across the province, perhaps resulting in many more human deaths in a region already grappling with some of the greatest devastations in Turkey. "Some buildings were demolished, and some people are trapped beneath the rubble," he explained.
Fuat Oktay, Turkey's vice president, claimed at least eight people were hurt, as a large government hospital in Skenderun, Hatay province's northernmost city, said it was evacuating patients.
Muna al-Omar, an Antakya resident, claimed she was in a tent in a park when the 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck. "I felt the ground was going to split apart beneath my feet," she sobbed as she clutched her seven-year-old son in her arms.
"Will there be another aftershock?" She inquired.
Some who stayed in Hatay for two weeks after the initial quakes stated they did so because they were afraid of losing their homes or because they had nowhere else to go.
The death toll from the two weeks ago quakes in Turkey grew to 41,156 on Monday, according to AFAD, and was anticipated to rise further, with 385,000 apartments believed to have been demolished or severely damaged and many more still missing. It is believed that at least 47,000 people were killed in Turkey and Syria.
Recep Tayyip Erdoan, Turkey's president, said that building on over 200,000 dwellings in 11 earthquake-ravaged provinces will begin next month.
During a visit to Turkey hours earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington will assist "for as long as it takes" as rescue efforts and aftershocks wound down and attention moved to essential shelter and reconstruction work.
On Sunday, Blinken visited Hatay province with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt avuşolu, and pledged an additional £83 million in aid to Turkey and Syria, in addition to the £71 million already given by Joe Biden.
"It's difficult to put into words," Blinken stated, attempting to express what he had seen. "Numerous structures, villages, and streets have been damaged or completely destroyed."
Local search and rescue organisations and the Syrian Civil Defence, popularly known as the White Helmets, said that the recent earthquakes had damaged structures in a number of cities and towns in rebel-held Syria.
They said that individuals were injured by falling debris and stampedes, as well as jumping from high places in terror of the disaster.
According to the UN sexual and reproductive health organisation (UNFPA), among the earthquake survivors are around 356,000 pregnant women who urgently require access to health care.
These include 226,000 women in Turkey and 130,000 in Syria, with around 38,800 due to give birth in the following month. Many of them are in camps or are exposed to frigid conditions and are unable to obtain food or clean water.
In Syria, which has already been broken by more than a decade of civil conflict, the majority of casualties have occurred in the north-west, where the United Nations reported 4,525 dead. Insurgents fighting alongside troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad dominate the region, hampering humanitarian attempts.
Syrian officials say 1,414 people were killed in regions controlled by Assad's administration, despite fears that the real count was far higher before the second earthquake.