A strong earthquake struck southern Turkey, at dawn today, Monday, with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale, according to Turkey’s Emergency and Disaster Management Department.
And the French news agency quoted Turkish officials as saying that at least 15 people were killed in the earthquake that struck the south of the country.
The Turkish Anatolia News Agency had quoted the governor of the city of Osmaniye, in southern Turkey, as saying that at least five people were killed, in addition to the destruction of more than 30 mini.
The Turkish agency also quoted the Minister of the Interior as saying that Turkey had raised the state of alert to the fourth level, which means that this includes the provision of international assistance.
The Turkish minister said that his country recorded six aftershocks of more than 6 degrees on the Richter scale.
Turkish media reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan requested an urgent briefing from officials of the affected areas in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş.
The aftershocks of the earthquake reached other countries in the region, and were felt by residents in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt.
The Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management said that the earthquake shook the Pazardik region in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, at a depth of seven kilometers.
The earthquake lasted for about a minute, and caused the demolition of some quiet buildings, according to eyewitnesses.
Buildings were damaged, and people gathered in snow-covered streets, according to images broadcast by Turkish state broadcaster TRT.
Users on social media shared pictures and videos showing demolished buildings after the earthquake.
Video clips also showed the streets of the Syrian capital, Damascus, full of cars and people, who left their homes, afraid of falling buildings.
And official Syrian media said that a large number of buildings collapsed in Aleppo governorate, while a source in the civil service in Hama said that several buildings collapsed there.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said it was assessing the possibility of a tsunami.
The Reuters news agency quoted the German Center for Geosciences Research as saying that a 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning.
While the French news agency quoted the American Center for Seismology as saying that the magnitude of the earthquake that struck southern Turkey amounted to 7.9 degrees.
The Turkish Anadolu Agency also reported that a large fire broke out in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, shortly after the earthquake.
