On Monday morning, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 magnitude struck southern Turkey and Northern Syria. The shaking shook hundreds of buildings in the area and left at least 641 dead. The death count is likely to increase throughout the day.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of cities and towns throughout the area, as hundreds were still trapped beneath rubble.
Residents were forced to go outside by the predawn earthquake on a snowy, cold and rainy night. Buildings collapsed and aftershocks continued.
Residents in several cities and emergency workers searched for survivors through tangles made of metal and huge piles filled with concrete.
A car was seen beneath the debris of a building that had collapsed in Azmarin city, Idlib province in northern Syria. Monday, February 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
“Six hundred and thirty-nine people were injured and 237 were killed in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus,”The statement was made by the Syrian Health Ministry.
According to Omar Alwan (the medical response coordinator in northern Syria), at least eight people died in areas of Azaz or Al-Bab under the control pro-Turkish groups. He also said that the death rate was expected to increase as rescue and search operations continue.
“We have been working on rescuing survivors and recovering the dead from under the rubble,”He spoke as rescuers, residents, and others struggled to find survivors amid the darkness with flashlights.
An image of the rubble of a fallen building following the earthquake of 7.4 magnitude Kahramanmaras in Idlib on February 6, 2023. At least 427 people were killed in Syria and several hundred more were hurt. (Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
According to the US Geological Survey, Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred near Gaziantep (southeastern Turkey) at 04:17 AM (0117 GMT). It was at an approximate depth of 17.9 kms (11 mi)
According to AFP correspondents, the tremors were felt at Cyprus, Syria, and Lebanon.
More to come…
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