More than 200 people have been killed and several more are trapped after a strong earthquake struck a large region in southeast Turkey, close to the Syrian border.
According to the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in the city of Gaziantep at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) with a depth of 17.9 kilometres (11 miles).
More than 76 deaths have been reported in Turkey so far, and 10 cities have been affected, including Diyarbakir. According to official media, at least 50 people died in Syria.
There are worries that the death toll will spike in the ensuing hours. Rescue crews have been called in to look for people under massive amounts of concrete after several buildings have fallen.
Ten cities, including Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir, and Kilis, were reportedly affected, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu.
Condolence From Pakistan
Pakistan Foreign Ministry shares their condolence for the Earth quack disasters in Turkey on behalf of the whole nation. The press release announced that the people of Pakistan are standing with their Turkish brothers in this crucial time.
Local authorities said that at least 23 people died in Malatya’s province of Malatya, which is northeast of Gaziantep. To the east in Sanliurfa, there were 17 fatalities. Additional casualties were also reported in Osmaniye and Diyarbakir. There were about 440 injuries.
