Fresh magnitude 5 quake hits Turkey

ANKARA: A magnitude 5 earthquake struck the southern Turkish province of Hatay bordering Syria, the country's disaster agency said.

The quake, which occurred on Thursday evening at 6:53 p.m. local time with a depth of 9.76 km, was centered in the province's Defne district, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

No new casualties were reported yet, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hatay was first hit by twin massive quakes on February 6, followed by another two on Tuesday night. The Defne district was the epicentre of the first magnitude-6.4 quake on Tuesday.

On February 6, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time, followed by a magnitude 7.6 one at 1:24 p.m. local time in the same province.

The recent quakes have killed more than 43,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless across 10 provinces of southern Turkey.