More than 500 people have been killed as a major earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday.
The death toll is still mounting as many people were trapped under the rubbles of dozens of buildings that have collapsed in one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Turkey in more than 100 years.
The killer 7.8 earthquake was centred north of the city of Gaziantep about 90 kilometres (60 miles) from the Syrian border. This is the region which houses millions of refugees from the Syrian civil war. The quake was felt as far away as Cairo.
The quake struck just after 4 a.m. Monday morning local time, 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
In Turkey, at least 284 people were killed and more than 2,300 injured, according to Vice President Fuat Oktay.
In neighboring Syria, at least 237 people died and more than 630 were injured, Syrian state news agency SANA reported citing a Ministry of Health official. The deaths were reported in Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.
Monday’s quake is believed to be the strongest to hit Turkey since 1939, when an earthquake of the same magnitude killed 30,000 people, according to the USGS.
In the past 25 years, seven quakes with magnitude 7.0 or greater have struck Turkey – but Monday’s quake is the most powerful according to reports.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.