Published 6 February 2023 at 07.45
Foreign. So far, 207 people have been reported dead in Turkey and Syria after strong earthquakes early Monday morning. In Turkey, the rescue work is hampered by an ongoing snowstorm.
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The two quakes, which were felt as far away as Cairo, had magnitudes of 7.8 and 6.7 and occurred north of the city of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria.
The first the earthquake was registered at 02:17 and the second one ten minutes later.
Rescue work in eastern Turkey is hampered by tough weather conditions, as there is a blizzard in parts of the affected area. So far, at least 76 people have been reported dead in Turkey, according to the AP, and a large number of houses have collapsed.
Syrian state media reports at least 111 deaths in government-controlled areas, while at least 20 people are said to have lost their lives in the rebel-held northwest region. The country's civil defense describes the situation as “catastrophic”, writes SVT Nyheter.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately sent search and rescue efforts to affected areas and writes on Twitter that he hopes to get through the disaster together as soon as possible and with the least possible damage.
The tremors could also be felt in neighboring countries such as Iraq, Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel.