ISTANBUL: A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing at least 1400 people. Hundreds were still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage in cities and towns across the area.
Turkish President Erdogan has announced that Turkey’s military is being swiftly deployed to assist in rescue effort in quake-affected areas.
Addressing live media, Turkish President Erdogan said the death in Turkey alone stood at 912, with at least 5380 people injured.
More than 1200 people lost their lives while thousands other injured as a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake jolted central Türkiye and Syria early Monday and was followed by another strong temblor.
Addressing media on live TV, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said 284 people died, 2,323 people injured and some 1710 buildings have collapsed due to the powerful quake.
Turkish President Erdogan conveys get well wishes to all citizens affected by earthquake, adding country’s disaster agency AFAD and other units ‘on alert’.
Türkiye has declared a fourth level alert state. The “level 4” alarm condition includes an international call for help.
The quake was centered about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was about 16 miles from the town of Nurdagi.
And in Syria, the Ministry of Health confirmed that 326 people were killed and nearly a thousand other injured in at least 4 regions bordering Turkey.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) near the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, while the EMSC monitoring service said the chance of a tsunami risk was being evaluated.
The tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350 km (218 miles)to the east.
Broadcasters TRT and Haberturk showed images of people gathered around wrecked building in Kahramanmaras, seeking survivors.
The governor of Türkiye’s southeastern province of Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan, said on Twitter, “we have destroyed buildings” and urged people to move to safe locations.
Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) put the magnitude of the quake at 7.4 near Kahramanmaras and the larger city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border.
Syrian state media said a large number of buildings collapsed in the province of Aleppo, while a source in the Hama civil service said several buildings collapsed there.
“Paintings fell off the walls in the house,” said Samer, a resident of Damascus, the Syrian capital. “I woke up terrified. Now we’re all dressed and standing at the door.”
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