Strong earthquake hits south-eastern Turkey- many killed

Story By: BBC.com

A powerful earthquake has hit Gaziantep in south-eastern Turkey, near the border with Syria, killing at least 17 people.

The US Geological Survey said 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.

The quake was felt in the capital Ankara and other Turkish cities, and also across the wider region.

- Advertisement -

Many buildings have collapsed, and there are reports of people trapped.

Local Turkish officials say at least 17 people have died – but the death toll has been rising steadily.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu said 10 cities were affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.

- Advertisement -

A BBC Turkish correspondent in Diyarbakir, north-east of Gaziantep, reported that a shopping mall in the city collapsed.

The tremor was also felt in Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus.

“I was writing something and just all of a sudden the entire building started shaking and yes I didn’t really know what to feel,” Mohamad El Chamaa, a student in the Lebanese capital Beirut, told the BBC.

“I was right next to the window so I was just scared that they might shatter. It went on for four-five minutes and it was pretty horrific. It was mind-blowing,” he said.

- Advertisement -
Share This Article
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *