Around 2,600 killed after multiple aftershocks above 6 magnitude hit Turkey and Syria

Fresh earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck Elbistan district in Kahramanmaraş Province in southern Turkey

Istanbul, Feb 06: Nearly nine hours after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria and killing more than 2,600 people, another strong tremor of magnitude 7.5 shook the region, impacting the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

Authorities feared the death toll would keep climbing as rescuers searched through tangles of metal and concrete for survivors in a region beset by Syria's 12-year civil war and a refugee crisis. Residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside in the rain and snow to escape falling debris, while those who were trapped cried for help.

Addressing the reporters, Turkey vice president Fuat Oktay said that unfortunately the death toll may rise as three big quakes jolt the country, already claiming over 1,500 lives. He added, at least 9,733 people injured as four of the aftershocks measured more than magnitude 6. ''One hundred and thirty aftershocks have been recorded after the earthquake. Nearly 15,000 search-and-rescue personnel have been deployed to the region,'' he said.

In Syria, already wrecked by more than 11 years of civil war, the health ministry said more than 326 people had been killed and 1,042 injured. In the Syrian rebel-held north-west, rescuers said 147 people had died.

On both sides of the border, residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside on a cold, rainy and snowy night. Buildings were reduced to piles of pancaked floors, and major aftershocks or new quakes, including one nearly as strong as the first, continued to rattle the region.

Rescue workers and residents in multiple cities searched for survivors, working through tangles of metal and concrete. A hospital in Turkey collapsed, and patients, including newborns, were evacuated from facilities in Syria.

The quake, which was centred on Turkey's southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, was felt as far away as Cairo. It sent residents of Damascus rushing into the street, and jolted awake people in their beds in Beirut.

The aftershock was felt as far as the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus, where people took to social media to post footage of swaying curtains, while employees working in some high-rise buildings in the capital, Nicosia, quickly rushed outside.

On the Syrian side, the swath affected is divided between government-held territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey, meanwhile, is home to millions of refugees from that conflict.

Earlier, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing at least 1,800 people.

Orhan Tatar, an official from the Turkish disaster agency, told reporters that the two quakes were independent of each other. He said hundreds of aftershocks were expected after both.

Hundreds were still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage in cities and towns across the area. On both sides of the border, residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside on a cold, rainy and snowy winter night, as buildings were flattened and strong aftershocks continued.

Govt sending search & rescue teams of NDRF, medical teams, relief material to earthquake-hit Turkey

Meanwhile, the government on India on Monday 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.

Modi's principal secretary P K Mishra held a meeting in the South Block to discuss immediate relief measures and the decision was taken there, an official statement said.

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, it said.

Relief material will be dispatched in coordination with the Turkish government and the Indian embassy in Ankara and Consulate General office in Istanbul, it added.

Why does Turkey have many earthquakes?

Turkey experiences frequent earthquakes because it is located at a convergent plate boundary, where the African Plate is colliding with the Eurasian Plate. This collision causes the earth's crust to deform and release energy in the form of earthquakes.

In addition, Turkey is situated near several active fault lines, such as the North Anatolian Fault, which is responsible for some of the largest and most destructive earthquakes in the country's history. The Aegean Sea is also located in the region, where the African Plate is being subducted under the Eurasian Plate, further contributing to the frequency of earthquakes in Turkey.

Moreover, Turkey's position at the intersection of the African, Eurasian, and Arabian tectonic plates makes it particularly vulnerable to seismic activity, with a long history of damaging earthquakes. To reduce the risk, the government of Turkey has implemented earthquake-resistant building codes and carries out regular earthquake drills, but despite these efforts, the country remains prone to earthquakes.