Major earthquakes kill thousands of people in Turkey and Syria

Powerful earthquakes and aftershocks killed thousands of people and injured thousands more in Turkey and Syria, triggering frantic searches for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

An initial magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit near the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep at 4:17am local time (01:17 GMT) on Monday, as people were sleeping, at a depth of about 17.9km (11 miles). It was also felt as far as Cyprus, Egypt and Lebanon.

Turkey and Syria earthquake victims have been using social media to reach out to emergency crews for help.
It is hoped that lives could be saved because of messages posted by those stuck in the rubble.
Al Jazeera's Um-e-Kulsoom Shariff reports.

Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/

#Turkiye #Turkey #TurkeyEarthquake #TurkiyeEarthquake #SyriaEarthquake #Earthquake #Malaytya #PrayForTurkey #Kahramanmaras #Sanliurfa #Gaziantep