Hundreds dead after earthquake shakes Turkey and Syria
More than 500 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria after an earthquake struck – it could be Turkey’s largest-ever earthquake and has seen more than 40 aftershocks.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border.
Turkey is the world’s largest host of refugees with 3.7 million Syrians in the country, millions of Syrian refugees live close to the epicentre – the Turkish city of Gaziantep.
Many people are still trapped under the rubble as hundreds of buildings collapsed in both countries and the rescue operation could be hampered by bad weather. The statements from both countries put the death toll at more than 500 but many expect to see the death toll rise.
Turkey has declared a state of emergency and urges people not to use mobile phones to allow rescuers to coordinate.
Relief organisation says hospitals in Syria ‘overwhelmed’
Mazen Kiwara, Middle East Regional Director for the Syrian American Medical Society, has told Al Jazeera that the healthcare system in Syria is “overwhelmed” from the number of people in need of medical attention, as some hospitals have been damaged by the quake.
Kiwara said his team had to evacuate a maternity hospital in Afrin and reported at least five deaths, including that of a pregnant woman.
“Right now we have a crisis, in addition to very bad weather conditions and collapsed buildings,” he said.
“The effort should be focused on the humanitarian response, especially in shelter and health to protect the population of more than 1.5 million people in northwest Syria alone.”
Italy withdraws tsunami warning after trains halted
Italian authorities have withdrawn a tsunami warning for the country’s southern coast that was raised after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake.
Italy’s Civil Protection Department had issued a statement recommending people to move away from coastal areas. Train traffic in the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria and Apulia had been temporarily halted as a precaution but resumed in the morning, the agency said in the statement.
