Powerful earthquake traumatises Turkey, Syria; Over 90 people dead

New Delhi : A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. As per recent update, more than 90 people have been declared dead in the natural disaster. It has been learned that when the earthquake struck Syria, most of the people were sleeping and they did not get time to escape the shaking buildings.

As per local authorities in Turkey, the initial death count was amounted to 53, which is highly likely to increase as most of the people were sleeping in the buildings that fell in the earthquake.

Meanwhile, 42 people lost their lives in government control part of Syria, as per State media.

Television images are horrifying to see how people have been standing in their pyjamas outside their house, seeing the rescuers taking through the debris of their damaged homes. 

According to media reports, the earthquake struck at 4:17 AM local time at a depth of 17.9 kilometres. With a 6.7 magnitude aftershock, striking 15 minutes later. The magnitude of first quake has been measured at 7.4, which is the most powerful in at least a century.

Syrian state television reported that a building near Latakia, on the west coast of Syria, had collapsed.

Pro-government media said several buildings had partially collapsed in Hama, central Syria, with civil defence and firefighters working to pull survivors out of the rubble.