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The death toll in the massive earthquake that struck central Turkey early today morning has been estimated to over 300, while many others are feared to be trapped under the debris.
Associated Press reported that 237 people in government-held areas of Syria were killed in the earthquake, while at least 516 others have sustained injuries.
Furthermore, 76 people in as many as seven Turkish provinces were victims of the earthquake as dozens of buildings collapsed. Search and rescue for survivors under the rubble is underway.
At least 95 people have been killed, while many are feared trapped under the debris in Turkey after two massive earthquakes rocked the nation early on Monday morning.
News broke out today that a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake had rocked central Turkey, which was followed by another quake measuring around 6.8 magnitude on the Richter scale. The two tremors were about 10 minutes apart.
According to reports, the tremors were felt as far as in Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus. The earthquake caused major damages with numerous buildings collapsing. Officials informed that several buildings in Aleppo in northern Syria were brought to the ground by the quake.
Meanwhile, President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted saying, “Search and rescue teams have been immediately dispatched to the areas hit by the earthquake.”
In addition, a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, which is about 350 kilometers to the east, said that window panes were shattered in the tremors that lasted for about a minute.
Moreover, the director of Turkish Red Cross appealed to the people to leave damaged buildings immediately and that the organization is working towards mobilizing relief services to the affected regions.
Several videos have surfaced on social media platforms highlighting the plight of people as the jolts wreaked havoc in Turkey.
As per initial reports, the first quake measured at around 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale. This was followed shortly by another quake that measured around 6.8 magnitude.
The tremors were centered about 33 kilometers or 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and the provincial capital, reported news agency Associated Press. It was around 26 kilometers or 16 miles from Nurdagi town.
On the other hand, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported that the first quake measured around 7.5 on the Richter scale and occurred at around 6.47 am (IST). The depth of the quake was around 10 kilometers, while the epicenter was estimated about 399 kilometers North-North East (NNE) of Beirut, Lebanon.
In a further tweet, NCS mentioned that the initial quake was followed by a 6.8 magnitude tremor at around 6.58 am (IST). The location was estimated at around 412 kilometers North East (NE) of Nicosia, Cyprus.