A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, killing over 1,300 people and injuring hundreds after hundreds of buildings collapsed across the region. The number is expected to rise further
As per the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep. Another earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck southern Turkey later in the day
At least 18 aftershocks were recorded after the powerful earthquake near Gaziantep, with the strongest one recorded only 11 minutes after the first quake and had a magnitude of 6.7
Videos circulated on social media show multiple collapsed buildings in Turkey and Syria. According to Turkey's vice president Fuat Oktay, more than 1,700 buildings collapsed in the horrific quake
Earlier in the day, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay highlighted that about 284 people were killed and over 2,300 injured after the extensive damage
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that "search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched" to the areas hit by the quake
Nearly 2,800 search and rescue teams have been deployed in the disaster-stricken areas. It was Turkey's most severe quake since 1999 where more than 17,000 people were killed. Turkey lies in one of the world's most active earthquake zones
Hours after the deadly earthquake, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and offered all possible assistance to cope with the tragedy