At least 3,400 killed, many more feared dead in Turkey, Syria earthquake

New Delhi: At least 3,400 were killed, and the toll was expected to rise in the early Monday earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria in Middle East among other countries.

At least 2,400 people were killed in 10 Turkish provinces, with more than 8,600 injured, according to Turkey’s president. The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed to 700 people, with some 1,284 injured, according to the Health Ministry. In rebel-held areas, at least 380 people were killed.

The quake measuring 7.8 magnitude, felt as far away as Cairo, was centered north of the city of Gaziantep in an area about 90 kilometers (60 miles) from the Syrian border.

On the Syrian side of the border, the quake smashed opposition-held regions that are packed with some 4 million Syrians displaced from other parts of the country by the long civil war. Many of them live in decrepit conditions with little health care. At least 11 were killed in one town, Atmeh, and many more were buried in the rubble, a doctor in the town, Muheeb Qaddour, told The Associated Press by telephone.

“We fear that the deaths are in the hundreds,” Qaddour said, referring to the rebel-held northwest. “We are under extreme pressure.”

On the Turkish side, the area has several large cities and is home to millions of Syrian refugees.

Also read: Here are five deadliest earthquakes in the history of Turkey

At least 130 buildings tumbled down in Turkey’s Malatya province, neighboring the epicenter, Gov. Hulusi Sahin said. In the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, at least 15 buildings collapsed. Rescue teams called for silence as they listed for survivors in a toppled 11-story building.