Major earthquake in Turkey, Syria kills nearly 2,300 people

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 and its powerful aftershocks have killed nearly 2,300 people and injured thousands in southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria as buildings collapsed across the region, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble.

The initial earthquake hit near the Turkish city of Gaziantep at 4:17am local time (01:17 GMT) on Monday, as people were sleeping, at a depth of about 17.9km (11 miles). It was also felt as far as Cyprus, Egypt and Lebanon.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the death toll in the country has risen to 1,014.

Authorities have declared a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance. A second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 followed a few hours later amid several aftershocks, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, adding that the epicenter of the quake was Elbistan region of Kahramanmaras province. -.aljazeera.com