February 6, 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake news

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) on Monday called on the international community for help after a powerful deadly quake hit the south of the country.

AFAD said in a statement it needed international help "in the field of urban search and rescue."

The quake occurred at 4:17 a.m. local time and was followed by 32 aftershocks, the statement said.

The provinces that felt the quake "intensely" across Turkey were Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Adana, AFAD said.

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said search and rescue teams have been dispatched to the south of the country after a deadly powerful quake struck early Monday.

He added there are some serious traffic jams in some places and asked people to make way for ambulances and rescue teams.

Turkish officials say at least 17 people have been killed after the magnitude 7.8 quake hit.

Multiple buildings have collapsed in Syria after a powerful earthquake struck neighboring southern Turkey early on Monday, Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported. 

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the quake hit near Kahramanmaras and the city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border.

An eight-story building collapsed in Syria's Hama province, SANA reported, citing the Hama Fire Brigade. Multiple buildings were also reported to have collapsed in the port city of Latakia and the city of Aleppo, SANA said. 

Exams scheduled for Monday in at least two Syrian universities have been postponed, SANA said. 

Kerem Kinik, president of Turkey's Red Crescent, said the organization is shipping additional blood supplies to southern Turkey after a deadly earthquake struck early Monday. 

The Red Crescent is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.

At least 17 people have died in the wake of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Turkey Monday morning.

At least five people from the Osmaniye province have died, Gov. Erdinç Yılmaz told CNN affiliate CNN Turk. 

Yılmaz said at least 34 buildings collapsed, according to preliminary data.

An additional 12 people have died in Sanliurfa province, Gov. Salih Ayhan told CNN affiliate CNN Turk. Ayhan also said at least 18 buildings have collapsed. 

At least 10 provinces across southeastern Turkey have been impacted by the earthquake, according to Turkish authorities. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his “best wishes” to those affected by the earthquake.

At least 17 people were killed when the 7.8-magnitude quake hit southern Turkey in the early hours of Monday, toppling buildings and sending residents running into the streets as aftershocks were felt across the region.

Erdogan said the quake was felt in many parts of the country and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of Turkey was on alert to assist the victims.

Gaziantep Gov. Davut Gul said on Twitter that "the earthquake was felt strongly in our city."

Gul advised the public to wait outside their homes and stay calm.

The magnitude 7.8 quake hit at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said Monday.

Journalist Eyad Kourdi, who lives in the city of Gaziantep, told CNN there were up to eight “very strong” aftershocks in under a minute after the 7.8 magnitude quake struck, causing belongings in his home to fall to the ground.

Many of his neighbors had left their homes following the quake, he added.

Strong aftershocks are likely to continue in the hours and even days to come after an earthquake as strong as this one, according to CNN meteorologists.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has hit southern Turkey, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said Monday.

The quake hit at 4:17 a.m. local time.

The quake’s depth is 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), located 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, according to the USGS. 

Strong aftershocks: Another earthquake of 6.7 magnitude struck 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the epicenter about 11 minutes after the first quake, the USGS said.