ISTANBUL: A strong earthquake jolted Turkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaras early Monday, according to the country’s disaster agency.
Turkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the 7.4 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 am (0117GMT) and was centred in Pazarcik district.
The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometres, reported Anadolu Agency.
It was also felt in other southeastern provinces including Diyarbakir and Gaziantep and neighbouring countries including Lebanon and Syria.
It was followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake that struck southeastern Gaziantep province.
A third earthquake with a 6.5 magnitude also hit Gaziantep.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took to Twitter to convey get well wishes to citizens affected by the initial earthquake.
He noted that rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the province affected by the earthquake.
“Our Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health, AFAD, provincial governorships and all other institutions started their work rapidly,“ said Erdogan.
“We are also coordinating our work after the earthquake. We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage and we will continue our work,“ he added.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that six earthquakes with magnitudes above 6 had hit the country so far early Monday. -Bernama