Stunned residents face new trauma after another earthquake hits Turkey, Syria: Updates

Stunned and struggling residents of Turkey and Syria are facing new trauma and obstacles following Monday's 6.3 magnitude quake that shook the same area devastated by earthquakes two weeks ago that killed almost 45,000 people and toppled thousands of buildings

Turkey's disaster management agency said six people were killed Monday and about 300 injured – 18 critically. In Syria, a woman and a girl died in the provinces of Hama and Tartus, pro-government media outlets said, and there were reports of people jumping from buildings to escape.

Monday's quake damaged buildings that had survived the earlier quakes, displacing a fresh wave of people into the cold streets of Aleppo and Latakia.

"But the biggest damage it and all the other aftershocks are currently creating are not visible," Jani Savolainen, a Damascus-based spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told USA TODAY. "The earthquake brought back the memories from the war, in addition to creating new traumas of losing family members, homes and belongings now for the earthquake."

TURKEY ROCKED BY NEW QUAKE:  2 weeks earlier, temblors killed more than 41,000

Other developments:

►Authorities had recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks between the quakes two weeks ago and Monday's temblors.

►The Syrian American Medical Society said it had treated a number of patients – including a 7-year-old boy – who suffered heart attacks brought on by fear following the latest earthquakes.

►Authorities had warned quake victims to not go into the remains of their homes, but people went back to retrieve what was left of their belongings. More than 1 million people were left homeless in Turkey alone by the earlier quakes.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:How to help Turkey, Syria: Relief efforts ongoing after more earthquakes rock region

Latest quakes trap people in homes in Turkey

The earthquake Monday struck at 8:04 p.m. and was centered in the town of Defne in Turkey's Hatay province. Hatay, which borders Syria and the Mediterranean Sea, was hit hard by the Feb. 6 quakes.

Monday's quake was followed by a second, magnitude 5.8 earthquake and dozens of aftershocks. The temblors also shook parts of Jordan, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Egypt.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay says inspections for damage were underway in Hatay. He urged residents to stay away from damaged buildings and to carefully follow rescue teams’ directions.

Hatay Mayor Lutfu Savas said a number of buildings collapsed following the latest quakes, trapping people inside. Savas said those trapped are believed to be people who had either returned to their homes or were trying to move furniture from damaged homes. The previous quakes had killed more than 21,000 people in his province, he said, adding that 80% of homes and businesses needed to be rebuilt or fortified.

In Adana, Alejandro Malaver said people left homes for the streets, carrying blankets into their cars. Malaver said everyone was scared and “no one wants to get back into their houses.”

Buildings collapse in Syria

In Syria's rebel-controlled northwest, almost 200 people were injured, mostly with cases of broken bones and bruises, according to the White Helmets, the local civil defense organization. Several flimsy buildings collapsed in Syria, but there apparently were no cases in which people were stuck under the rubble, the White Helmets said.

"Our teams are working tirelessly to clear rubble & debris, secure damaged buildings, open roads, and retrieve belongings of civilians," the White Helmets tweeted. "We remain dedicated to helping those affected by this disaster get back on their feet."

Fresh fears for the already-traumatized survivors

In addition to causing more physical damage, the new quake ripped open fresh fears for survivors. Life since the Feb. 6 quakes has been hard, with survivors surrounded by bodies, below-freezing temperatures and a lack of running water and adequate hygiene, according to aid groups. But for many, especially Syrians, the quakes are the latest trigger of trauma caused by more than a decade of war.

“We were already hearing reports of acute trauma in children – this is likely to only get worse after last night," Kathryn Achilles, a spokesperson for Save the Children Syria said in a statement. "We heard reports of people who were so afraid that they were jumping off balconies to escape buildings.”

A different rescue group, the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations-USA, reported Monday that at least eight people were hurt jumping from buildings in Salqin, a northwest area of Syria.

The fact people were jumping from buildings in fear highlights just how traumatized people are, especially Syrian children who have known little other than conflict and crisis their whole lives.

"For many kids in Syria, being able to be and act as a kid is a privilege. They must take responsibilities on taking care of their families, about their own safety, even to provide income for their parents," said Savolainen, a Damascus-based spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. "All this mental health burden comes to the top of the everyday struggle of not having enough food, fuel, warmth or home."

People are traumatized from 12 years of the conflict," Savolainen told USA TODAY via text. "Every aftershock forces people to relive those memories."

More earthquakes are expected

Further aftershocks are likely – models show the area will likely receive magnitude 5 quakes for at least a year, said William “Bill” Barnhart, the Colorado-based assistant coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program.

Barnhart said Monday's quake, had it happened as a stand-alone event, would likely have caused somewhere between 100-1,000 deaths and $1 billion in damage.

"It was a significant earthquake all on its own," he said. "But you're now overlapping that on top of infrastructure that was already vulnerable before the quakes, and now it's been compromised even more by many, many strong aftershocks. All of those things start to add up."

Contributing: The Associated Press