ISLAMABAD, FEB 06 (Online): More than 313 people have been killed and over one thousand injured as a 7.8 magnitude deadly earthquake hit Turkiye and Syria this morning.
Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said nearly 100 people are dead as the strong quake struck at 4.17 a.m. and its center was located in Pazarcik district.
Buildings were reported collapsed in a swath from Syria’s cities of Aleppo and Hama to Turkiye’s Diyarbakir, more than 330 kilometers (200 miles) to the northeast.
In Turkiye, people trying to leave the quake-stricken regions caused traffic jams, hampering efforts of emergency teams trying to reach the affected areas. Authorities urged residents not to take to the roads.
Mosques around the region were being opened up as a shelter for people unable to return to damaged homes amid temperatures that hovered around freezing.
Many people are still trapped under their debris of several collapsed buildings and the death toll is feared to rise.
Officials in Syria said 111 people died and more than 500 were injured as several buildings collapsed due to the quake.
The quake was also felt in neighboring countries including Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.
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