Death and Destruction: Powerful Earthquake Rattles Turkey and Syria

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, causing buildings to collapse. Hundreds of people people were killed and hundreds injured, with the toll expected to rise. The tremor was felt across the region, including in Lebanon, Israel, and Iraq.

A large-scale rescue operation is underway, with both Turkey and Syria declaring the highest alert level. Syria is planning to engage the armed forces in order to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake.

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Rescue workers and medical teams try to reach trapped residents in a collapsed building following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, early Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. A powerful earthquake has caused significant damage in southeast Turkey and Syria and many casualties are feared. Damage was reported across several Turkish provinces, and rescue teams were being sent from around the country.

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Rescue efforts are underway in Aleppo, Syria, after a devastating earthquake toppled buildings, leaving people trapped under the rubble. (Photo by Sputnik)

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In this video grab from AFP TV taken on February 6, 2023, people stand next to an ambulance as rescuers search for victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, levelling buildings across several cities and causing damages in neighbouring Syria. (Photo by Mahmut BOZARSLAN / AFPTV / AFP)

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A young injured girl awaits treatment at a hospital following an earthquake, in the Syrian border town of Azaz in the north of the Aleppo province early on February 6, 2023. (Photo by Nayef Al-ABOUD / AFP)

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A man searches collapsed buildings in Diyarbakir, southern Turkey, early Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (Depo Photos via AP)

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Rescuers try to free a young boy from the rubble of a collapsed building following an earthquake, in the Syrian border town of Azaz on February 6, 2023. (Photo by Nayef Al-ABOUD / AFP)

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Victims are rushed to the emergency ward of the Bab al-Hawa hospital following an earthquake, in the northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province on the border with Turkey, early on February 6, 2023. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)

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A car is seen under the wreckage of a collapsed building, in Azmarin town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

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Residents walk through the rubble among collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the town of Jandaris, in the countryside of Syria's northwestern city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province, early on February 6, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)

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Damaged vehicles after buildings collapsed in Syria's Aleppo following a powerful earthquake. (Photo by Sputnik)

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People search through the wreckage of a collapsed building in Azmarin town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

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In this video grab from AFP TV taken on February 6, 2023, rescuers search for victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, levelling buildings across several cities and causing damages in neighboring Syria. (Photo by Mahmut BOZARSLAN / AFPTV / AFP)

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A collapsed building is seen following an earthquake in Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province, southern Turkey, early Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.(Depo Photos via AP)

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Syrian rescuers and residents gather near a collapsed building following an earthquake, in the border town of Azaz in the north of the Aleppo province, early on February 6, 2023.(Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

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Rescue efforts are underway in Aleppo, Syria, after a devastating earthquake toppled buildings, leaving people trapped under the rubble. (Photo by Sputnik)

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Aftermath of deadly earthquake in the coastal Syrian city of Jableh. (Photo by Sputnik)