In this video grab from AFP TV taken on February 6, 2023, rescuers search for victims of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, levelling buildings across several cities and causing damages in neighbouring Syria. (Photo by Mahmut BOZARSLAN / AFPTV / AFP)
Istanbul: At least 53 people died Monday in Turkey when a major 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southeast of the country, local officials said.
Officials said 23 people died in the province of Malatya, 17 in Urfa, seven in Osmaniye, and six in Diyarbakir, although the toll threatened to climb much higher because of the heavy damage.