Magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Turkey causes buildings to collapse

At least one person died after tremor centred in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province

Rescuers search the rubble of collapsed buildings in Yesilyurt after a 5,6 magnitude earthquake hit the Turkish province of Malatya on February 27. AFP

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkey on Monday, killing one person, injuring 69 and causing several buildings to collapse.

The tremor struck three weeks after a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the region that claimed more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

Monday’s earthquake was centred in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, Turkey’s disaster management agency, Afad, said.

"One citizen lost his life. Some 69 were injured," Afad chairman Yunus Sezer said.

The agency said on Twitter that 29 buildings already damaged by the February 6 earthquake had collapsed.

"Our search and rescue teams were quickly dispatched to the region, and started to work," it said.

Yesilyurt's mayor, Mehmet Cinar, said a father and his daughter were trapped after they entered a damaged building to get their belongings, Turkish media reported.

Television images showed the man being carried on a stretcher into an ambulance, while rescue teams were trying to make contact with his daughter inside the damaged building.

Malatya is one 11 Turkish provinces that were hit hard by the February 6 earthquake, which was centred in Kahramanmaras province to the south-west.

It destroyed or seriously damaged more than 160,000 buildings in Turkey.

Afad said close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the affected region since February 6.