As rescue efforts started, the U.S. said it would give the area “any and all” help it needed.
Early reports from Turkey and nearby countries show that a strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area early Monday morning, destroying buildings and killing more than 1,500 people.
As cities and refugee camps with tens of thousands of Syrians woke up to daylight, rescue workers started looking through the rubble while international aid groups and countries made plans to send help. Photos showed that the earthquake broke a historic mosque into pieces, and local media said that broken gas lines caused fires in some areas.
The U.S. Geological Survey also said that many buildings in the area of Turkey where the quake happened were made of brick and concrete, making many towns “extremely vulnerable” to earthquakes.
The Syrian American Medical Society said that the earthquakes had caused damage to a hospital in the country’s Idlib province, which meant that it had to be evacuated.
Lebanon and Israel, as well as the rest of the Levant, felt tremors, and the area was hit by several strong aftershocks. The U.S. promised to help in “any and every” way possible. Photos and videos taken on Monday show that it will take a long time for Turkey and other places to get back
