Earthquake: Terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria, 31 people died
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Ankara :A strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook southeastern Turkey and Syria early Monday, causing several buildings to collapse. At least 31 people have been reported killed in earthquake-related incidents. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers are still searching the affected areas for people trapped under the debris.
Inside the partially collapsed buildings, people standing in the street were seen calling for help. The tremors were felt as far as Cairo. Its epicenter was north of the city of Gaziantep, about 90 km from the Syrian border. At least 11 people were killed in the quake, Muhib Kadaur, a doctor in the town of Atmad, told The Associated Press by phone. “We fear hundreds of casualties,” Kaddour said. We are under immense pressure.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tweeted that “search and rescue teams have been dispatched immediately” to the quake-hit areas. “We hope to come out of this disaster together with minimum loss of life and property,” he said. About six aftershocks were felt after the earthquake. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has asked people to avoid visiting damaged buildings.
“Our priority is to rescue people trapped under the debris of buildings and take them to hospitals. At least 18 people have died in the earthquake in Turkey and 13 in Syria, according to various official figures. Hulusi Sahin, the governor of Turkey’s Malatya province, said at least 130 buildings had collapsed. In northwest Syria, the opposition Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the rebel-held area as “catastrophic”, saying many people were buried under the rubble of collapsing buildings.
‘Syrian Civil Defense has asked people to stay in open space outside the buildings. According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was about 33 km from Gaziantep at a depth of 18 km. Its tremors were felt in the provinces.
The quake came as West Asia is being hit by a snowstorm that is expected to last until Thursday. A powerful earthquake in 1999 in northwestern Turkey killed nearly 18,000 people.
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