After Syria & Turkey, Japan & Papua New Guinea Hit By Over 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake

by Mallika Khurana
After Syria & Turkey, Japan & Papua New Guinea Hit By Over 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake

Amid the death toll after an earthquake struck Trukey and Syria going higher, The United States Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the isolated New Britain region of Papua New Guinea on Sunday. However, no tsunami warning was issued. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan as well.

New Britain Region Of Papua New Guinea Recorded Massive Earthquake

The USGS reported that the earthquake occurred on Sunday morning in the sparsely settled West New Britain archipelago area at a depth of 38 kilometres (23 miles). A worker at a Walindi Plantation Resort near the town of Kimbe, which is roughly 80 kilometres from the epicentre, reported feeling the shaking.  However, the shaking didn’t feel as strong.” Vanessa Hughes, a resort employee, shared with AFP that people didn’t really go in shock immediately. Even though everything around was shaking, no prominent damage could be seen.

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded in Hokkaido, Japan on Monday. On Saturday, this northern island faced a 6.1 magnitude earthquake.

The National Center for Seismology reported that another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 happened 273 kilometres east-northeast of Fayzabad, Afghanistan, at 2 am IST on Sunday.

As per a tweet from NCS, an earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred in Fayzabad, Afghanistan. The earthquake occurred at 2:14 PM IST on February 26, 2023. 

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Death Toll Of Syria Crossed 50,000

Earthquake
Photo Credits: Canva

Following Turkey’s declaration that more than 44,000 people had perished, the casualty count from the earthquakes that occurred in Syria and Turkey on February 6 topped 50,000 on Friday. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that as of Friday night, there had been 44,218 earthquake-related casualties and injuries in Turkey.

The two countries’ total death toll has surpassed 50,000 with the most recent death toll from Syria being 5,914.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey and northern Syria on February 6; shortly after, another 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck. According to the AFAD, the area has experienced almost 9,000 aftershocks since.

In the 11 regions of Turkey affected by the earthquake, there are still close to 240,000 rescuers working, including volunteers. It was originally challenging to reach some of the damaged areas. However, recovery activities are still ongoing, and the number of casualties is increasing.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva

First Published: February 26, 2023 11:22 AM