Magnitude 5.2 earthquake jolts Syria's Hama, tremors felt in southern Turkey

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Salamiyah city in Syria's Hama province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). 

The quake, which occurred at 1:15 p.m. local time (GMT+3), occurred on a faultline strecthing from Hama to Hatay, southern AFAD reported. The tremors were felt in Hatay and Antep in Turkey's south.

Boğaziçi University's Kandilli Observatory provided a slightly different account, stating that the earthquake originated in Syria with a depth of 17 kilometers. Kandilli measured the quake's magnitude at 5.0.

As of now, there have been no reports of casualties or significant damage.

Hatay was the province most severely affected by the devastating double earthquake that struck Turkey in February 2023, centered in Maraş. The quakes resulted in over 50,000 deaths across 11 provinces in Turkey, with nearly half of those fatalities occurring in Hatay. (VK)