Turkey and Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last night. The epicenter was 26 kilometers northwest of the city of Gaziantep, not far from the border with Syria. There are reportedly at least 53 victims.
The quake struck at 4:17 local time, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says it occurred at a depth of 17.9 kilometers. Fifteen minutes later, the USGS recorded a 6.7 magnitude aftershock. Residents of Cyprus, Israel, Syria and Lebanon also reported feeling the quake on social media. Residents of several cities in southeastern Turkey and Syria also share images of destroyed buildings.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addressed the Turkish people via Twitter this morning. He wished strength to those affected and said disaster authority AFAD is coordinating emergency services and rescuers are on their way to the affected area. “We hope that together we will overcome this disaster as quickly as possible and with as little damage as possible, we will continue to work.”
Severe damage has so far been reported deep in the area on the Syrian side of the border, an area home to millions of people already displaced by war in areas with fragile infrastructure, according to The Guardian.
Source: BNR
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