Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 360 in Turkey, Syria

The death toll in the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria rose to 360. Hundreds are feared to be stranded under rubbles of buildings that collapsed in the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday. Buildings collapsed while people were still in their sleep. Authorities of Turkey put the initial death toll to be over 100 with speculations that the death toll can be much higher. Over 440 were reported to be injured.

Similarly, as per initial reports, 237 people were killed and over 600 injured in northern Syria.

In Turkey at least 130 buildings tumbled down in Malatya province while 16 collapsed in Diyarbakir. Search for survivors trapped under the rubble is underway. The tremors were so strong that they were felt as far away as Lebanon and Cyprus.

A powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit Turkey on Monday. Several buildings collapsed because of this massive earthquake. Tremors of this quake were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus. As per reports, some buildings were damaged in Aleppo in northern Syria.

According to the US Geological Survey, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck southern Turkey in the wee hours of Monday, followed by another strong temblor of magnitude 6.7. The initial quake was centered 26 km east of Nurdagi city in the Gaziantep province, at a depth of 17.9 km. The second one struck minutes later in central Turkey, at a depth of 9.9 km.