Turkey Earthquake Leaves more than 1,500 Dead

More than 1,500 people have been killed across Turkey and Syria in a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt as far away as Cairo, Egypt.

Thousands of rescue workers and residents are searching for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in several cities on both sides of the border following the historic disaster that struck at 4:17 am local time.

The death toll in Turkey has risen to 1,014, while 320 have been reported dead in Syria, according to the governments of each country. Syrian emergency workers said that more than 200 people had died in rebel-held territory. The death toll is expected to rise. 

Thousands more have been injured by the earthquake, which centered north of the Turkish city of Gaziantep about 90 kilometers from the Syrian border. Tremors were felt as far away as Cairo and Lebanon.

A second major earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale was recorded in south-eastern Turkey’s Kahramanmaras region at 1.24 pm local time on Monday, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said. Damage caused by the second quake was not immediately clear.