ANKARA — A second earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.5, has struck in the Elbistan district of Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province.

Elbistan lies around 80 miles directly north of Gaziantep, where the epicenter of this mornings quake was situated.

The second quake struck at 13:24 local time (10:24 GMT).

An official from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said it was “not an aftershock” and was “independent” from this morning’s quake.

At least 70 deaths had already been reported across Kahramanmaras following the first quake.

It’s not yet clear what impact this second quake has had after this morning’s tremor, which killed more than 1,200 people. We’re continuing to get information and will keep you updated.

Weather could hamper rescue efforts

Rescue efforts in the coming days could be hampered by difficult weather conditions due to set in over some of the areas affected.

In the Turkish region around the epicenter of the first quake, heavy rain is expected, while temperatures will be only 3-4C during the day and well below freezing at night.

Around 3-5cm of snow is also set to fall, while further north in Turkey, heavier snow is expected.

In more mountainous regions, temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing at all in the coming days, which could mean snowfall of 50-100cm.

At least 2,800 buildings are thought to have been destroyed in this morning’s first quake, meaning many thousands of people could be left without shelter. — BBC