KABUL (BNA) A Major earthquake in northwest of Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing hundreds of people as buildings collapsed across the snowy region.
Turkey’s disaster agency said 76 people had been killed, and 440 hurt, as authorities scrambled rescue teams and supply aircraft to the affected area, while declaring a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance, reported Reuters.
Syrian state media said more than 100 people were killed and dozens injured there, most in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, where numerous buildings had been brought down.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the areas hit by the quake.
In Syria, the quake smashed opposition-held regions packed with some 4 million people displaced from other parts of the country, due to the civil war.
The quake jolted residents in Lebanon from beds, shaking buildings for about 40 seconds. Many residents of Beirut left their homes and took to the streets or drove in their cars away from buildings.
The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.
W/A
