Hundreds of people are now mourning the passing of their loved ones as the powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake reportedly killed 641 people and injured hundreds of others.
The number of deaths continues to rise as rescuers work to find people from under the debris. More people have died in Syria than in Turkey.
The deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake was centred about 90 kilometres (60 miles) from the Syrian border, north of the city of Gaziantep. This is the area where millions of people who left Syria because of the civil war live.
As per reports, the tremors were experienced in Egypt. Ismail Al Abdullah of the White Helmets, a civil defence group best known for working in rebel-held areas of Syria, spoke to the BBC from Sarmada, Syria, near the border with Turkey.
He says, “This earthquake destroyed a lot of buildings in cities and villages in the northwest of Syria. Our teams went to all the sites and buildings, and many families are still trapped under the wreckage. We’re trying to save them, but it’s hard for us to do so.
“We need help. We need the rest of the world to do something to help us and stand behind us. Northwest Syria is now a terrible place to live. “To save our people, we need help from everyone,” Al Abdullah says.