Turkey, Syria earthquake : Around 2,400 killed; 4 aftershocks above 6 magnitude

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Turkey followed by another strong quake which was felt in several provinces in the region, knocking down a number of buildings, reports said.

The US Geological Survey said quake was centred about 33 kilometres (20 miles) from Gaziantep about 26 kilometres (16 miles) from the town of Nurdagi. It was centred 18 kilometres (11 miles) deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management agency was centered in the town of Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province. The European Union is sending rescue teams and preparing further help for Turkey, the bloc’s crisis management commissioner said.

“Teams from the Netherlands and Romania are already on their way,” with the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre overseeing their deployment, commissioner Janez Lenarcic tweeted.