Turkey was rocked by an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. The earthquake occurred in Turkey about 90 kilometres from the Syrian border.
At least 40 aftershocks occurred after the earthquake. Turkish authorities have stated that the strength of one aftershock was 7.5 on the Richter scale.
The magnitude of the earthquake prompted Italian authorities to issue a tsunami warning, which was later withdrawn.
The earthquake occurred while the Syrians and Turks were sleeping. Authorities in the Syrian capital of Damascus officially announced that the death toll from the earthquake in government-controlled areas was 582, and the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey was 1,014. has increased to 1596.
In Turkey alone, 5383 people have been injured and the Turkish authorities have stated that the rescue operations for people trapped in the destroyed houses and buildings in the main cities of Turkey are still ongoing and the number of injured and the number of dead may rise in the future. The authorities of the two countries have indicated that this may be the strongest earthquake and the strongest earthquake that occurred in Syria in the last 40 years. (Reuters)
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