Major 7.8-magnitude earthquake kills more than 100 across Turkey, Syria
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 100 people, levelling buildings while many were still asleep, and sending tremors that were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus and Egypt. Emergency service officials in Turkey put the initial death toll at 76, although it threatened to climb substantially higher because the night-time disaster had flattened dozens of apartment blocks across major cities. At least 50 people also died in government-controlled parts of Syria, as well as the northern areas held by pro-Turkish factions, according to state media and a local hospital. Television images showed shocked people in Turkey standing in the snow in their pyjamas, watching rescuers dig through the debris of damaged homes. The quake struck at 4.17 am local time (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 17.9 kilometres (11 miles), the US Geological Survey said, with a 6.7-magnitude aftershock striking 15 minutes later. Turkey's AFAD emergencies service centre put the first quake's magnitude at 7.4, adding that it was followed by dozens of aftershocks. The earthquake was one of the most powerful to hit the region in at least a century, affecting southeastern...