Major earthquake kills more than 1,400 in Turkey, Syria

The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria early Monday (Feb 6), killing over 1,400 people in their sleep, levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland.

The 7.8-magnitude nighttime tremor, followed hours later by a slightly smaller one, wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region filled with millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts.

The head of Syria's National Earthquake Centre, Raed Ahmed, called it "the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the centre".

At least 560 people died in rebel and government-controlled parts of Syria, state media and medical sources said.

Another 912 people died in Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose handling of one of the biggest disasters of his two decades in power could prove consequential to his re-election chances in polls due in May.

The initial quake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks, including a 7.5-magnitude tremor that jolted the region in the middle of search and rescue work on Monday afternoon.