7.8 Earthquake hits Turkey, Syria; Over 1,400 killed, 3000 injured

Istanbul: A severe earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale has hit Turkey and Syria. The disaster killed over 1,400 people were killed, and nearly 3,000 others injured in both countrues after the quake struck in a wide area near the two countries' border, IANS reported.

The quake hit Turkey’s southern province, Osmaniye. According to the provincial governor, Erdinc Yilmaz, 34 buildings were destroyed in the disaster. The quake happened at 04:17 am local time at a depth of 11.9 km, Agence France-Presse reported. Entire sections of major Turkish cities have been wiped out. It was filled with millions who fled Syrian civil war.

Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay said the death toll had now risen to 284. Meanwhile, the Syrian Health Ministry said 237 casualties have been reported so far from the regions of Aleppo, Hama, Tartus and Latakia.

The Turkish government’s disaster management agency AFAD however, stated that the magnitude of the quake was 7.4.

Further, there was another shallow 6.7-magnitude quake occurred near the site of the first one about 15 minutes later, according to a USGS report.

AFP reported that the tremors from the quakes were felt in Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus. Though Turkish authorities have not yet reported any casualties or damages, videos from social media showed many destroyed buildings in many of the cities in the country.

The region where Turkey is located has many active earthquake zones.

In 1999, DUzce was hit by a 7.4 earthquake, which was the worst hit in decades for Turkey. The quakes killed 17,000 people, while Istanbul alone recorded 1,000 deaths.

Cautions were being issued by experts that a large earthquake could tear down Istanbul, where buildings were made without required safety precautions.

In January 2020, 6.8 quakes killed more than 40 people in Elazig. In October of that year, 7.0 killed 14 people in the Aegean Sea. It also wounded more than 1,000.