At least 90 people were killed and several buildings knocked down in Turkey and Syria after a powerful 7.8-magnitude quake struck southern Turkey on Monday, with the toll expected to rise.
Tukey’s state media reported that 53 people were confirmed dead, 23 in Malatya province, 17 in Sanliurfa, six in Diyarbakir and five more in Osmaniye.
Turkish authorities have declared a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu said 10 cities were affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.
In northern Syria, at least 42 people were killed and several buildings flattened in Aleppo, reports said quoting officials.
The tremors were so strong that they were felt as far away as Lebanon and Cyprus.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the areas hit by the quake.
