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An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 rocked Turkey on Monday (6/2/2023) morning. Photo/Screenshot video of Twitter @eha_news
ANKARA – A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey on Monday (6/2/2023) morning. It was followed by several strong aftershocks that were felt across the country.
According to video footage from the scene and eyewitnesses, the shaking caused widespread damage with several high-rise buildings collapsing.
The powerful earthquake occurred at around 04:16 local time and was centered about 30 kilometers from Gaziantep, a region with a population of more than 2 million people.
According to local media, there are no estimates yet on the number of victims, but several buildings were damaged or destroyed in Gaziantep and neighboring provinces; Diyarbakir and Malatya, where residents are feared trapped under the rubble.
Turkish authorities declared the highest level of emergency, at which point all rescue services and first responders were mobilized to assist the affected province. The announcement was made by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Across the border in Syria, several residential buildings were reported to have collapsed in Aleppo as well as the city of Hama.
The quake was so strong that tremors were felt throughout the region, including Israel, Lebanon and Cyprus.
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