Srinagar:- At least 50 people were killed on Monday after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck south-eastern Turkey near the Syrian border, Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu has confirmed, adding that the tremor was also felt in Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus.
Addressing reporters, the Minister said the quake affected the 10 Turkish cities of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis, reports the BBC.
Of the victims, 23 were reported in Malatya province, while Sanliurfa to the east registered 17 fatalities.
There were casualties in Diyarbakir and Osmaniye as well but the official numbers were not known immediately.
“We’ve set up a fourth-level alert. This is an alarm that includes international assistance,” Soylu said.
