4:17 local time, central Turkey was hit with a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The initial quake caused absolute devastation, decimating dozens of buildings. Footage shows apartment buildings falling apart, with horrified crowds watching their homes fall apart. Gaziantep, the south-central Turkish epicenter of the earthquake, experienced the greatest destruction.
It’s the deadliest earthquake Turkey has experienced in 20 years, with the death toll climbing to 2,900. The President of Turkey said in a statement that 3,000 buildings fell down this morning, and that number is sure to rise further. International rescue teams, including some from the EU and Greece, have been dispatched to aid Turkish first responders in the search for survivors among the rubble. A second and third quake, both measuring 7.5 on richter scale, hit the region not much later. Syria was also hit by the quake, and there is particular concern over the condition of the refugee camps in the country. Other European countries felt the shocks, but not on the level of Turkey and Syria.
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