Death toll in Turkey and Syria exceeds 1,300

 

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey early on Monday has left thousands of people injured and at least 1,388 dead across Turkey and Syria.

According to the Syrian state news agency, at least 476 people have died in Syria, including 326 who were largely killed in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus. There have also been at least 1,042 reported injuries. According to Latakia's governor, at least 139 of those who died were in Latakia.

In the meantime, the "White Helmets" organization, also known as the Syria Civil Defense, claimed at least 350 injuries and 150 fatalities in northwest Syrian opposition-held territory.

In a televised address on Monday, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoan stated that at least 912 people had died and 5,385 had been injured.

Aftershocks were still being felt hours after the earthquake, according to a CNN eyewitness. Additionally, images of the terrible earthquake's aftereffects, including completely fallen buildings and cars, have surfaced.

While the port of Iskenderun in southern Turkey and some airport runways have been damaged, rescuers are searching among the wreckage of fallen infrastructure for survival.