As the city of Hama in western Syria begins to recover from the shock of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, the ground continues to tremble. On Tuesday, aftershocks rattled the region, deepening the fear that had gripped the community the night before.

Approximately 65 people sustained injuries in the chaos as they rushed to safety. Nearly 70 others were treated for shock at local hospitals, their nerves frayed by the relentless shaking that reverberated across Jordan and Lebanon.

Nasser Duyub, a state employee from Salamiya, a town 30 kilometers east of Hama, shared his harrowing experience: “My son was sleeping. I don’t know how I grabbed him and got out of the house.”

The tremors persisted, with Jordan recording a 3.9 magnitude aftershock less than an hour after the initial quake. Syria’s National Earthquake Center reported that by Tuesday morning, 13 more tremors had been detected east of Hama.

For many in Syria and Lebanon, the first thought was of an Israeli airstrike. But for those in Syria, the memories of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February 2023 were painfully fresh. That disaster claimed over 50,000 lives, mostly in Turkey, but also in northern Syria, leaving a trail of destruction that still haunts the region.

“It was the same sound, as if it was coming out of the earth,” recalled Umm Hamzah, a resident of Damascus. “I got dizzy just like last time, but the scare was worse because I knew what happened in the previous quake.”

The fear is palpable as the people of Hama and surrounding areas brace for what might come next, their hearts heavy with the memory of past tragedies.