A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the border of Turkey and Syria on Monday, causing more damage to an already devastated region.
The earthquake’s epicenter was near Defne, in Hatay province of Turkey, according to data from the United States Geological Survey. That is about 80 miles from where the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck earlier this month.
Syrian state media were already reporting injuries in Aleppo from falling debris. The Sunday earthquake was felt in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt, according to the Associated Press.
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Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said there have been three confirmed deaths and more than 200 injuries from the newest temblor so far — numbers expected to grow as search and rescue operations continue into the night.
Lutfi Savas, the mayor of Hatay province, said buildings have collapsed in the region and people are trapped under the rubble. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay warned people near the epicenter of the latest disaster to stay away from damaged buildings.
Scores of further deaths and injuries are expected from this latest quake. Early projections from the USGS that attempt to calculate expected economic and human loss estimate a 45% chance there will be between 100 and 1,000 fatalities, while there is a 36% chance there will be between 1,000 and 100,000 fatalities.
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The earthquake comes as the entire region struggles to recover bodies from the Feb. 6 tremor. The death toll for that earthquake alone is pushing 50,000, with more than 120,000 injuries. There have been thousands of aftershocks since the first 7.8 magnitude temblor.
