Strong earthquake results in more than 4,300 deaths in Turkey and Syria

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A deadly earthquake that tore across Turkey and Syria has claimed more than 4,300 lives, and rescuers are frantically trying to pluck survivors from the rubble on both sides of the border.

Around 4 a.m. on Monday, one of the largest earthquakes to hit the area in a century jolted locals out of their beds and sent tremors as far as Lebanon and Jordan.

According to Yunus Sezer, Turkey’s director of disaster services, at least 2,921 people were killed and more than 15,800 others were injured in Turkey.

At least 1,451 individuals have died in nearby Syria. 711 individuals have killed in government-controlled areas, predominantly in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.

The Syria Civil Defense, also known as the “White Helmets” group, recorded 740 fatalities in opposition-held regions. In the midst of a violent civil conflict that started in 2011, anti-government forces control a large portion of northwest Syria, which borders Turkey.

Experts warned that there could be more fatalities and that aftershocks could last for days or weeks. According to the Danish Geological Institute, Greenland was also affected by the tremors.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, announced on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were promptly despatched” to the earthquake-affected districts.

A state of emergency was also announced by the Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue organisation working in the opposition-held areas of northern Syria, and an appeal was made to “the international community to facilitate the rescue of civilians in Syria.”