Death toll in Turkey Earthquake reaches 912

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit Turkey and Syria a few hours ago leaving 912 people dead and several hundreds injured, according to Reuters. The death toll is still mounting. People are being pulled out from under dozens of buildings which collapsed in the temblor. The death toll is more in Syria.

The government decided to immediately dispatch search and rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force, medical teams and relief material to earthquake-hit Turkey following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions to offer all possible assistance to the country. Two teams of the NDRF comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment are ready to be flown to the earthquake-hit area for search and rescue operations. Medical teams are also being readied with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the world leaders who reached out to quake-hit Turkey. “India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy,” the PM said.

The killer 7.8 earthquake was centred north of the city of Gaziantep about 90 kilometres (60 miles) from the Syrian border. This is the region which houses millions of refugees from the Syrian civil war. The quake was felt as far away as Cairo. Keep scrolling down to read the latest updates on what’s happening. (The Indian Express)