Parts of Turkey and Syria have been devastated by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake which has so far claimed more than 5,000 lives in total.
In the early hours of Monday (February 6), the earthquake struck close to the border between southern Turkey and northern Syria. In Turkey, the initial quake, which was centred in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, caused severe infrastructural damage to the historic city of Gaziantep.
The provincial capital is located just 20 miles from the epicentre and saw the destruction of a historically significant building. Meanwhile, the province's port of Iskenderun saw a hospital collapse from the earthquake, forcing a navy ship to arrive and transport survivors in need of medical care to the nearby city of Mersin.
Read more: Rescue efforts continue in Turkey and Syria as death toll passes 5,000
Other Turkish regions affected include the Hatay province which is located just southwest of the earthquake's epicentre. In the area, as many as 1,500 buildings were destroyed with officials reporting that many people's relatives remain trapped under piles of rubble.
In northern Syria, where it is believed 1,602 people have died so far, the earthquake caused significant damage to Idlib province, resulting in the death of a staff member belonging to medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders.
"We are very shocked and saddened by the impact of this disaster on the thousands of people touched by it, including our colleagues and their families,” said Sebastien Gay, the group’s head of mission in Syria.
It is also understood that the quake could be felt in the country's capital city of Damascus as well as the city of Beirut. In government-held areas of Syria, the death toll has risen to 769 people, according to the Health Ministry.
In the rebel-held areas of the northwest, it is understood that at least 450 people have died.
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