A massive earthquake that rocked central Turkey and Syria has killed more than 4,800 people and injured thousands more, flattened apartment blocks and wreaked destruction on towns and cities in neighbouring Syria already devastated by years of war.
When did the earthquake happen?
The magnitude 7.8 quake hit before sunrise in cold winter weather. It was the worst to strike Turkey this century. Its epicentre was close to the southern city of Gaziantep, and tremors were felt as far away as Cyprus, Cairo and Mosul.
Were there aftershocks?
The initial earthquake was followed by more than 100 aftershocks, including a magnitude 7.5 tremor during the day on Monday that interrupted search and rescue efforts.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said preliminary data showed that the second large quake occurred 67km (42 miles) north-east of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, at a depth of 2km.
How many people have been killed?
At least 2,379 people were confirmed dead in Turkey, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said, and 1,444 in Syria, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue workers.
Thousands more were injured, with the death toll expected to rise.
The first quake damaged the historic Gaziantep Castle, which has been in use since Roman times. Other historical sites across the region may have been damaged.
What is the international rescue response?
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said 45 countries had already offered help with search and rescue efforts. More than 10 search and rescue teams from the EU have been mobilised.
The International Rescue Committee called for increased funding for humanitarian aid in Syria, saying many people in the north-west had already been displaced up to 20 times, and that medical care in the region was “strained beyond capacity even before this tragedy”.
Are earthquakes common in the area?
Turkey is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones, with land stretching over the Anatolian fault line in the north of the country that has caused large and destructive tremors.
In 1999, a tremor of a similar magnitude to Monday’s quakes devastated İzmit, killing more than 17,000 people. Erdoğan described Monday’s disaster as Turkey’s worst since 1939, when an earthquake killed more than 32,000 people and injured more than 100,000.
