A 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck 23 kilometers west of Salamiyah in Syria’s Hama province at 1:15 p.m. on Friday, resulting in 17 injuries, according to Syria’s National Earthquake Center (NEC).
At a shallow depth of 17.1 kilometers, the quake occurred just days after a stronger 5.5 magnitude quake hit the region on Monday, causing panic and stress and resulting in 65 injuries but no fatalities.
Osama Malham, the Director of Salamiyah National Hospital, confirmed the number of injured individuals who also experienced acute stress in reaction to the earthquake, Syria’s news agency (SANA) reported.
The NEC’s seismic monitoring stations recorded a series of nine aftershocks from Thursday to Friday morning, impacting the provinces of Hama, Lattakia, Homs, Aleppo, and Tartous. These seismic activities varied from a minor to moderate intensity, and the center expects ongoing, albeit less frequent, seismic activity shortly.