Indonesia Jolted By Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake

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Halmahera [Indonesia]: An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale occurred North of Halmahera, Indonesia on Friday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. According to the NSC, the earthquake originating at a depth of 99 Km, was felt at 01:32:47 IST. "Earthquake of Magnitude:6.2, Occurred on 24-02-2023, 01:32:47 IST, Lat: 3.28 & Long: 128.36, Depth: 99 Km, Location: North of Halmahera, Indonesia," NCS tweeted. No casualties have been reported so far.

Earlier on Monday, at least eight people were injured after the two earthquakes jolted Turkey`s southernmost Hatay province on Monday, just two weeks after major quakes hit the region, Anadolu Agency reported citing Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.

According to Turkey`s Anadolu Agency citing the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), one of the quakes occured at around 20.04 pm, local time (1704GMT) in the Defence district of Hatay, with a magnitude of 6.4, while the other quake with a magnitude of 5.8 hit the country three minutes later, with its epicentre being in Hatay`s Samandag province.

AFAD issued warnings urging citizens to avoid coastal areas as a precaution against the risk of a rise in the sea level, which could reach up to 50 centimetres (1.6 feet). Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay called on citizens in the region to stay away from damaged buildings as authorities scan the affected areas. Turkey is still not out of the pain of losing at least 41,000 people and another earthquake hitting the country, the agency reported. 

Millions of people who survived the quake need humanitarian aid, authorities say, with many survivors left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures. Rescues are now few and far between. Earlier, Turkey ended rescue efforts in eight out of ten provinces, almost two weeks after a massive earthquake killed tens of thousands of people, the country`s disaster agency said.  

 A United Nations Development Program (UNDP) official has estimated that 1.5 million people in Turkey have been left homeless by the recent earthquakes and some 500,000 housing units in the country will have to be rebuilt.