A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria early Monday local time, killing more than 1,600 people and injuring more than 5,000 in Turkey, where the earthquake was centered, and more than 1,000 in Syria. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers search fallen buildings in hopes of finding survivors—almost 3,000 buildings collapsed in Turkey alone.
A serious aftershock, magnitude 7.5, later hit Turkey. That would be a serious event as a stand-alone earthquake.
The earthquake’s toll in Syria is magnified by that country’s ongoing civil war, with buildings already damaged by years of bombings.
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