Schools evacuated after M5.6 earthquake in Malatya, Türkiye

USGS placed the epicenter 20 km (12 miles) N of Sincik (population 7,152) and 29 km (18 miles) WSE of Malatya (population 441,805), Malatya, Turkey. About 2 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 66 000 moderate, and 1 592 000 light.

The agency issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and dressed stone/block masonry construction.

Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas. The number of people living near areas that could have produced liquefaction in this earthquake is low, but liquefaction damage or fatalities are still possible in highly susceptible areas.

Kandilli Observatory said that the earthquake occurred in the Gülümuşağı neighborhood of Battalgazi district in Malatya, at a depth of 4.4 km (2.7 miles) and with a magnitude of 5.6.

“All teams from AFAD and our relevant institutions have immediately started field surveys,” Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said. “As of now, there are no adverse situations. Our teams are continuing their work. I offer my condolences to our citizens affected by the earthquake. May God protect our country and our nation from disasters.”

The Malatya Governorship suspended education for one day across the province after the earthquake, citing the safety of students and residents.

According to data provided by EMSC, at least 22 aftershocks were reported during the first 1 hour and 46 minutes after the quake. The aftershocks ranged from M0.8 to M3.6, with the strongest recorded at 07:21 UTC at a depth of 12 km (7.4 miles).

Malatya was one of the 11 Turkish provinces affected by the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence. The sequence began with an M7.8 earthquake at 01:17 UTC (04:17 local time) near the Türkiye–Syria border and was followed by a major M7.5 event at 10:24 UTC the same day.

The M7.8 mainshock produced severe shaking across a broad section of southern Türkiye and northern Syria, exposing an estimated 70 000 people to violent shaking, 540 000 to severe, and 4.85 million to very strong shaking.

Together, the earthquakes killed more than 53 000 people in Türkiye and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings across 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6 469 deaths were reported in northern Syria.

The World Bank estimated direct physical damage in Türkiye at USD 34.2 billion and said 81% of the estimated damage occurred in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Malatya, and Adıyaman.

References:

¹ M5.4 earthquake in Malatya, Turkey – USGS – May 20, 2026

² GÜNCELLENDİ| Malatya’da şiddetli deprem: Yetkililerden peş peşe açıklama – Rudaw – May 20, 2026

³ Extremely damaging M7.8 earthquake hits Turkey – Syria border region, leaving over 47 000 people dead – The Watchers – February 6, 2026

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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