Turkey Earthquake: Over 600 Killed So Far, India to Dispatch Medical Teams

The deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey early on Monday morning has claimed over 600 lives so far.

Hundreds of buildings have been toppled killing at least 641 people and many more are still believed to be trapped in the debris.

Meanwhile, the Indian Government has announced that relief materials, medical teams with trained doctors and paramedics will be dispatched in coordination with the Government of Turkey and Indian Embassy in Ankara and Consulate General office in Istanbul.

Search and rescue teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) comprising of 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment will also be sent to the earthquake-hit country.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) chaired by Dr PK Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Medical teams are also being readied with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines. Relief material will be dispatched in coordination with the Turkish government and the Indian Embassy in Ankara and Consulate General office in Istanbul," the PMO said.

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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.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that "search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched" to the areas hit by the quake.

The US National Security Advisor also took to Twitter and assured Turkey of timely assistance for the quake-hit country to cope well.

Several provinces in Southern Turkey also reported the loss of lives. There were reports of destroyed buildings in Turkey and Syria, where tremors also were felt.

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.

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