At least 90 dead, 200 injured in Syria, Turkey after 7.9 magnitude earthquake

At least 53 people were dead in Turkey and 42 people passed away in Syria after a major 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on Monday and its tremors were felt across Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria. Officials stated that 23 people died in Malatya province, 17 in Urfa, 7 in Osmaniye, and 6 in Diyarbakir of Turkey so far.

At least 42 people have passed away in the government-controlled parts of Syria as several buildings collapsed into rubble. “Forty-two deaths and 200 injuries have been reported in Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia as a result of the earthquake in a preliminary toll,” the news agency AFP reported quoting a Syrian health ministry official. 

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said that the magnitude of the quake stood at 7.4 near Kahramanmaras and the larger city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border. A resident of the Syrian capital Damascus Samer told the news agency Reuters, “Paintings fell off the walls in the house.” 

He added, “I woke up terrified. Now we’re all dressed and standing at the door.” people in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli ran into the streets on foot and took to their cars to get away from buildings. The area is very prone to strong earthquakes. 

Syria’s National Earthquake Centre head Raed Ahmed said that this is “historically, the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the centre.” 

Turkey’s Duzce was hit by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, which killed more than 17,000 people, including around 1,000 people in Istanbul. A 6.8-magnitude hit Elazig in January 2020, killing over 40 people. In October 2020, a 7.0-magnitude hit the Aegean Sea and claimed the lives of 144 people and left more than 1,000 people injured. 

(With inputs from agencies) 

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