Ruins of a collapsed building in Malatya in southeastern Turkey
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 has hit a vast area in southeastern Turkey near the border with Syria. According to the latest data, more than 500 people have died. It is not known how many people may be under the rubble.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck at 04:17 local time at a depth of 17.9 km near Gaziantep, a city of more than 1 million people.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the death toll in Turkey had risen to 284.
More than 230 people have died in Syria, state media reported. The Syrian Health Ministry said there were earthquake victims in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.
There are fears that the death toll will rise sharply in the coming hours.
news/240/cpsprodpb/9937/production/_128532293_turkey_gaziantep_quake4.jpg 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/9937/production/_128532293_turkey_gaziantep_quake4.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9937/production/_128532293_turkey_gaziantep_quake4.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/9937/production/_128532293_turkey_gaziantep_quake4.jpg 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/9937/production/_128532293_turkey_gaziantep_quake4.jpg 800w" alt="Обломки рухнувших зданий и поврежденных автомобилей в Малатье к северо-востоку от Газиантепа" attribution="Anadolu Agency via Getty Images" layout="responsive" src="https://i0.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/9937/production/_128532293_turkey_gaziantep_quake4.jpg?resize=900%2C506&ssl=1" height="506" width="900"/>
Photographer, Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
photo caption,
Debris from collapsed buildings and damaged vehicles in Malatya northeast of Gaziantep
Many buildings have collapsed, rescuers are looking for survivors under the rubble.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said that 10 cities were affected – Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.
A correspondent for the BBC Turkish Service in Diyarbakir reports that a shopping center has collapsed in the city.
At least 23 people have died in the province of Malatya, northeast of Gaziantep, according to local authorities. In the city of Sanliurfa – 17 people. More deaths have been recorded in Diyarbakir and Osmaniye.
At least 2,323 people were injured in Turkey, 639 in Syria.
news/240/cpsprodpb/10E67/production/_128532296_fe83e290-9e53-4c55-914e-bc0e11ca8832.jpg 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/10E67/production/_128532296_fe83e290-9e53-4c55-914e-bc0e11ca8832.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/10E67/production/_128532296_fe83e290-9e53-4c55-914e-bc0e11ca8832.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/10E67/production/_128532296_fe83e290-9e53-4c55-914e-bc0e11ca8832.jpg 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/10E67/production/_128532296_fe83e290-9e53-4c55-914e-bc0e11ca8832.jpg 800w" alt="В Диярбакыре к северо-востоку от Газиантепа под завалами рухнувших зданий ищут выживших" attribution="Anadolu Agency via Getty Images" layout="responsive" src="https://i0.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/10E67/production/_128532296_fe83e290-9e53-4c55-914e-bc0e11ca8832.jpg?resize=900%2C506&ssl=1" height="506" width="900"/>
Photographer, Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
photo caption,
In Diyarbakir, northeast of Gaziantep, survivors are being searched under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The aftershocks were felt in the capital Ankara and other Turkish cities, as well as throughout the region – in Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria, where, like Turkey, there are many deaths.
Syrian state media reported that a large number of buildings collapsed in Aleppo province, a Hama civil service source said several buildings collapsed there, Reuters reported.
“Paintings fell off the walls of the house,” Samer, a Damascus resident, told Reuters. “I woke up terrified. We’re all dressed and standing at the door.”
news/240/cpsprodpb/A305/production/_128533714_fee6730b-0c84-4be4-84b6-bb7f920aa6af.jpg 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/A305/production/_128533714_fee6730b-0c84-4be4-84b6-bb7f920aa6af.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/A305/production/_128533714_fee6730b-0c84-4be4-84b6-bb7f920aa6af.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/A305/production/_128533714_fee6730b-0c84-4be4-84b6-bb7f920aa6af.jpg 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/A305/production/_128533714_fee6730b-0c84-4be4-84b6-bb7f920aa6af.jpg 800w" alt="Сирия - сильные разрушения произошли в городе Хама" attribution="SANA VIA REUTERS" layout="responsive" src="https://i0.wp.com/ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/A305/production/_128533714_fee6730b-0c84-4be4-84b6-bb7f920aa6af.jpg?resize=900%2C506&ssl=1" height="506" width="900"/>
Photographer, SANA VIA REUTERS
photo caption,
Syria – severe destruction occurred in the city of Hama
Witnesses said people in Damascus, as well as in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli, ran into the streets and got into cars to pull away from their homes in case of a collapse.
Rushdi Abualuf, a BBC producer in Gaza, said the house he lived in shook for about 45 seconds.
Turkish seismologists estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.4. According to them, a second shock occurred in the region a few minutes later.
The head of the Turkish Red Cross, Kerem Kinik, said he was mobilizing resources to help the affected region as there was severe damage and destroyed buildings, and said Turkey was ready to accept international assistance.
Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic zones in the world.
In 1999, more than 17,000 people died after a powerful earthquake in the Izmit region in the northwest of the country.
