At least 10 people have died in Turkey after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the southern region of the country and northern Syria on February 6, according to two Turkish officials.
Witnesses and local television stations reported that the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck early on February 6, was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon. The quake caused numerous buildings to collapse, forcing many residents to flee onto snow-covered streets.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the southern region of the country and northern Syria on February 6. (Photo: AP).
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km near the city of Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) indicated that a tsunami risk is currently being assessed.
Reuters cited a witness in Diyarbakir, located 350 km east of Kahramanmaraş, who stated that the tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows.
Television stations TRT and Haberturk broadcast images of people gathering around the collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaraş to search for survivors.
The governor of Sanliurfa province (southeast Turkey), Salih Ayhan, tweeted: “We are urging everyone to move to safe locations.”
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) initially reported the earthquake’s magnitude as 7.4, occurring near Kahramanmaraş and the larger city of Gaziantep, which is one of Turkey’s key industrial and manufacturing centers near the Syrian border.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his condolences to citizens affected by the earthquake, stating that it was “felt in many areas of our country.”
He wrote on Twitter: “Our search and rescue teams have been dispatched immediately to the affected areas.”
