More than 1,400 dead as massive earthquake of 7.8 magnitude jolts Turkey

Turkey, February 6: More than 1,400 people dead, several injured across 10 provinces affected by the quake and 2,818 buildings collapsed as a  massive and powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale hits 26 km E of Nurdagi in Turkey on Monday.

As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake took place in central Turkey around 01:17:35 (UTC) at a depth of 17.9 km.

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According to USGS, the latitude and longitude of the earthquake were found to be 37.174N and 37.032E respectively. Nurdagi, where the quake was reported is a district and city of Gaziantep Province of Turkey.

Nurdagi is situated 45 km west of Gaziantep in Turkey. No immediate reports of injuries or damage have been reported yet.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that "search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched" to the areas hit by the quake.

Multiple aftershocks followed the quake.

There were reports of destroyed buildings in Turkey and Syria, where tremors also were felt.

People took to social media to post footage of the destruction, including collapsed buildings and people trapped under the rubble.

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The casualty count is expected to rise.

Further details are awaited.