Earthquake: More than 500 dead in Turkey, Syria

A deadly earthquake hit central Turkey and northwest Syria early Monday, killing over 500 people and injuring hundreds.

Rescuers have continued to find survivors trapped beneath rubble either side of the Turkey-Syrian border.

The earthquake’s epicenter was 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The earthquake was felt in Cyprus and Lebanon and caused many buildings to collapse.

 Turkish authorities declared a ‘level 4 alarm’ calling for international assistance and the US was ‘profoundly concerned’ about the quake and ready to provide any needed assistance.

The earthquake toll rose to 237 killed and 629 injured in Syria.

“No official numbers yet ... but dozens reported dead and hundreds injured, many trapped under the rubble,” the force, known as the White Helmets, said in a Twitter message, Syrian civil defence in rebel-held northwestern Idlib said earlier.

Many buildings in the affected areas had already suffered damage in fighting during Syria's nearly 12-year-long civil war.