More than 500 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria after the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake which rocked southern Turkey early Monday.
At least 284 people have died and more than 2,300 were injured in Turkey, Anadolu Agency quoted Vice President Fuat Oktay as saying.
More than 1,700 buildings were damaged across 10 Turkish cities, the Turkish vice president said.
Oktay noted that the earthquake occurred in difficult weather conditions, adding that civil flights have been suspended in Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.
In Syria, at least 237 people were killed and 639 injured, Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported, citing a Health Ministry official.
The total death toll across Turkey and Syria is now at least 521.
The quake is one of the strongest to hit Turkey in more than 100 years and sent tremors across the region, collapsing buildings and sending residents running into the streets.
