Monday's powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the collapse of several buildings. The tremors could be felt as far away as Cyprus.
As more bodies are recovered from the rubble by rescue workers, the death toll is expected to rise. Turkish authorities have issued a "level 4 alarm" and requested international assistance.
According to the news agency AFP, at least 326 people were killed in areas of Syria controlled by the government. In a statement, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that at least 912 people had been killed.
According to AFP, there were 326 deaths and over 500 injuries in Syria's government-held provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Tartus. At least eight people were killed in the earthquake in pro-Turkish areas in the north. In the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama, some buildings collapsed, according to state media in Syria.
In a number of cities in Turkey and Syria, residents and rescue workers are frantically looking under the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors.
The quake, felt as far away as Cairo in Egypt, was felt 90 kilometers from the Syrian border, north of Gaziantep in Turkey. A 6.7-magnitude aftershock occurred 15 minutes later.
So far, 5,385 people have been injured and 912 people have died in Turkey. As more bodies are being pulled from the rubble by rescue workers, this is expected to rise significantly. Nearby the epicenter, in Turkey's Malatya province, at least 130 buildings collapsed.
Syrian refugees live in the area around the quake's epicentre. Many of them lack access to health care and live in poor conditions. The earthquake affected a portion of Syria that is divided between areas controlled by the government and opposition forces.
Turkey frequently experiences earthquakes because it is perched atop major fault lines. The quake was one of the strongest in at least a century to hit the area.
“Search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the affected areas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Twitter.
He stated, "We hope that we will get through this disaster together as quickly as possible and with the least damage."
The early-morning quake woke up residents in both Turkey and Syria. As buildings collapsed and powerful aftershocks persisted, they rushed outside on a snowy, cold, and rainy winter night. Some hours later, during daylight, at least 20 aftershocks were felt, the strongest of which measured 6.6.
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