Combined Death Toll in Turkey and Syria Rises to More Than 650 Dead

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early on Monday morning has killed at least 641 people, with the number expected to rise further. Hundreds of people are still believed to be trapped under rubble as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage in cities and towns across the area.

Associated Press reported that Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency said at least 284 people were killed in seven Turkish provinces. The agency said 440 people were injured.

The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed to 245 with more than 630 injured, according to Syrian state media. At least 147 people were killed in rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.

Buildings were reported collapsed in a cross-border swath extending from Syria’s cities of Aleppo and Hama to Turkey’s Diyarbakir, more than 330km (200 miles) to the north-east.

Nearly 900 buildings were destroyed in Turkey’s Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces, said vice-president Fuat Otkay. A hospital collapsed in the Mediterranean coastal city of Iskanderoun, but casualties were not immediately known, he said.

“Unfortunately, at the same time, we are also struggling with extremely severe weather conditions,” Oktay told reporters.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held an emergency meeting with his cabinet to discuss the repercussions of the earthquake.