Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad chairs emergency meeting as earthquake toll rises to 230

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday chaired an emergency meeting of the Cabinet to discuss the damage and loss of lives caused by the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that also jolted Syria, with its epicenter in neighbouring Turkey. Al-Assad mobilized civil defense, firefighters, and construction teams to the provinces of Aleppo, Hama, and Lattakia. He announced providing shelter as a winter storm has also hit the region. The Syrian President made necessary provisions for securing fuel for emergency operations.

Excavations of the bodies of the dead and injured from under the rubble of destroyed houses in the town of Qorqanya in the northern #Idlib countryside as a result of the #earthquake that struck NW #Syria at dawn today. pic.twitter.com/IrsDmWg2zw

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef)

Syria's Defense Ministry also mobilized all its units, formations, and institutions to provide immediate aid and urgent assistance to those affected by the earthquake across all provinces. “The Ministry of Defense mobilizes all its units, formations, and institutions in all the provinces to provide immediate help and urgent assistance to the people affected by the earthquake, carry out search and rescue work for people trapped under the rubble, treat the wounded and remove traces of destruction,” the Syrian ministry said in a statement on Monday, according to Sana agency. 

Heart wrenching
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Northern Syria too, which is already in rebels. No infrastructure to help the victims.
May Allah be with them 💔#earthquake #Syria #Turkey #TurkeyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/dUcdvyw1J5

— Shama Junejo (@ShamaJunejo)

The total death toll in Syria and Turkey has already exceeded 600 people, as per AP. UN World Heritage Site Aleppo Citadel in Syria was also damaged by the earthquake, the Syrian Museums Department said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

🇸🇾 The city of Haram (population 30,000) in northern Syria was “completely wiped off the face of the earth” by an earthquake, local authorities say. I wonder if the “free world” will find money to help Syria? Or does the “free world” have money only for “humanitarian” tanks? pic.twitter.com/XLXxhTMhgf

— 🅰pocalypsis 🅰pocalypseos 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 🅉 (@apocalypseos)

UN World Heritage Site Aleppo Citadel in Syria. Credit: Telegram

Idlib, Syria#Earthquake pic.twitter.com/kQG2SzE62I

— Revolutionaries (@statelessidea)

Victims in Syria from earthquake climbs to 237

Syria's Ministry of Health noted that the number of victims in Syria from the earthquake has climbed to 237. Those injured are close to 639, mostly in Lattakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Tartous. An aftershock was felt by residents of these provinces,  according to the Syrian health ministry. The earthquake that hit the dense-populated part of southeastern Turkey was felt as far away as Israel and Cyprus. The Governor of the province of Kahramanmaras noted that the operation for debris removal was continuing to find the survivors and that the updated figures of injured would be at least thousands of people in Turkey and Syria.

Harrowing visuals showed devastating scenes resembling a war zone as residential buildings were levelled to the ground, cars were crushed under the pile of debris, and millions of frantic people ran for cover as the infrastructure came down crumbling during the disaster. Turkish citizens reported a massive explosion over the skies of Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep city, in Southern Turkey after the 7.8 earthquake. 

#earthquake & #Tsunami in #Turkey.#Syria has also been affected by Tsunami. #Italy has issued an alter. #earthquaketurkey #deprem #DEPREMOLDU pic.twitter.com/ZlCLjeXECe

— Zoya Hashmi (@ZoyaHas093)

Heartbreaking news as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes near the border of #Turkey and #Syria. Sending love and strength to all affected by this tragedy. Let's come together to support and pray for their quick recovery. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/i7YNDSKMlZ

— Naeem ur Rehman (@NaeemRehmanEngr)

Horrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria. International relief efforts are called for to assist the struggling local and national authorities. pic.twitter.com/84P8gAVG7H

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt)

Gaziantep Oguzeli International Airport of Turkey, by Monday afternoon, allowed only aircraft carrying emergency aid to land. Two Il-76 planes of the Russian Emergencies Ministry are currently flying to Turkey to assist in rescue operations after the earthquake. Hatay Airport in southeastern Turkey suspended operations after the runway was heavily damaged by the earthquake.

The moment of the earthquake inside the Gaziantep airport in southern Turkey.#Turkey pic.twitter.com/N4GxC629Pp

— The_anonymous_wave (@anonymouswave1)

🇹🇷 Runway ripped up at the Hatay airport in Turkey after massive earthquake pic.twitter.com/H2dbfiDirs

— CT (@jehovahrappha)

A stronge powerful light in Turkey's Kahramanmaras after the earthquake

Turkish media calls it explosion. #Turkey #Earthquake #Breaking pic.twitter.com/oeM6gxQ0Sd

— Ismail Rojbayani (@ismailrojbayani)

On social media, local citizens report a massive explosion over the skies of Kahramanmaraş, 70 KM NW of Gaziantep city, in Southern Turkey following the M7.8 Earthquake pic.twitter.com/W7yyIv5sAQ

— Donbass Devushka (@PeImeniPusha)

Devastating footage showed the moment of collapse of a high-rise residential building in the city of Sanliurfa hours later. Ankara's historic Gaziantep fortress, which was constructed during the Roman Empire and reconstructed during the Ottoman Empire, suffered a partial collapse as several walls and towers came crashing down when an earthquake jolted the southern provinces.