5.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Syria, triggers memories of 2023 disaster

No major damages reported in an earthquake that recorded 5.5 in magnitude. People suffer minor to moderate injuries.

An earthquake shook central Syria late Monday, local authorities said, causing no major damages but rattling the nerves of residents who remembered last year’s devastating temblor that struck northern Syria and Turkey.

On Feb. 6, 2023, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing more than 59,000 people.

Syria’s National Center for Earthquakes said a 5.5 magnitude quake struck 28 kilometres (17 miles) east of the city of Hama at 11:56 p.m. local time. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 5.0 and said it had a depth of 10 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports of deaths. Local authorities in Hama and surrounding government-held areas reported no damages, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA said. In the country’s opposition-held northwest, the local civil defence agency known as the White Helmets also said there were no damages.

In Damascus and Beirut — the capital of neighbouring Lebanon, where the earthquake was also felt — residents descended to the streets fearing a stronger quake that would collapse buildings. In Lebanon, nerves were already on edge due to fears of an escalation in the ongoing conflict between the militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces that could pull the country into a full-on war.

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