Entire neighbourhoods and villages in northwestern Syria were destroyed after a violent earthquake the morning of February 6 hit Turkey near the border. In between internet outages, several of our Observers in opposition-controlled areas of Syria told us of the heartbreaking scenes as rescue workers struggle to keep up.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake's epicentre was located about 33 kilometres from Gaziantep, in western Turkey, according to the US Geological Survey. The shake was felt throughout central Turkey and northern Syria, as well as in Cyprus, Lebanon, Greece and Israel. At least 2,300 people were killed in what officials say is one of the region’s most powerful earthquakes since 1999.
