Deadly earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: what is known at this moment

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - A deadly earthquake in Türkiye and Syria has killed more than 1,000 people today, leaving more than 5,000 injured. More about what happened today and what is known so far is in the latest article of Kazinform.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck at 4.17 a.m. local time, just 32 kilometers from Gaziantep, one of Türkiye’s oldest cities in the country’s southeast near the Syrian border. The earthquake was felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt and was followed by multiple powerful aftershocks.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province. According to Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu, at least 10 cities were affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.

At least 912 have been killed in Türkiye, injuring 5,385 people. Syrian state media reports that at least 339 people were killed and 1,089 injured in government-controlled areas of Syria, torn by war. The White Helmets rescue group reported that at least 221 were killed and 419 injured in opposition-held areas.

Officials say the number will continue rising as search and rescue operations continue. Hundreds of people may still remain stuck under the debris of collapsed buildings.

Türkiye is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. Earthquakes are relatively common in Türkiye due to its location on several active fault lines. The country is situated at the boundary of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, which leads to seismic activity. Türkiye has had several destructive earthquakes, including the 1999 catastrophic İzmit earthquake of 7.6 magnitude.

At least 2,818 buildings have collapsed as a result of the earthquake in Türkiye’s Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces. There are reports that the region suffered several other large aftershocks.