Over 500 killed in Turkey, Syria

KATHMANDU: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday killed more than 500 people and injured hundreds of others. According to media reports, the quake was also felt as fast as Cyprus and Lebanon.

Turkey’s vice president Fuat Oktay said 284 people had been killed and 2,323 people were injured, as authorities scrambled rescue teams and supply aircraft to the affected area, while declaring a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance, Reuters news agency reported.

Similarly, more than 237 people had been killed and some 600 injured in war-torn Syria. According to Reuters, major casualties have been reported in in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia where numerous buildings have tumbled down.

According to the US Geological Survey, a 7.8 quake struck at a depth of 17.9 km. A series of earthquakes have been reported including one of 6.7 magnitude.

This is the most devastating earthquake in Turkey since 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake klled more than 17,000 people.