Devastating earthquake hits Turkey — RT World News
A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey early Monday morning, according to the USGS, followed by several powerful aftershocks felt across the region. The tremors caused widespread destruction with several multi-storey buildings collapsing, according to disturbing footage captured by witnesses.
The earthquake occurred around 4:26 a.m. local time and was centered about 30 kilometers from Gaziantep, a major provincial capital with a population of over 2 million.
There was no immediate casualty estimate, but Turkish media said several buildings were damaged or destroyed in Gaziantep and the neighboring provinces of Diyarbakir and Malatya as residents feared they were trapped under the rubble.
Across the Syrian border, several residential buildings have collapsed in Aleppo as well as in the city of Hama, according to local media. The earthquake was so powerful that tremors were felt throughout the region, as far away as Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus.
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