Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Over 1700 people die, rescue operations continue

Officials told Daily Sabah that 1,014 people were killed and 5,385 injured in the provinces of Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Osmaniye and Diyarbakır, although the toll threatened to climb much higher because of the heavy damage.

The first earthquake was followed by two more earthquakes.

It was followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake that struck southeastern Gaziantep province, reports Daily Sabah.

A third earthquake with a 6.5 magnitude also hit Gaziantep, the newspaper reported.

According to the country's disaster agency, the strong earthquake originated in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş.

Strong earthquake was also felt in Syria where 783 people have died, media reports said.

The Syrian government has set up a 24-hour central operation center to coordinate earthquake relief operations, with all relevant ministries, institutions and authorities on alert, state news agency SANA reported.

The central operation center was led by Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous.

Historic sites in Syria were affected, as parts of the Ottoman mill in the Citadel of Aleppo fell and the defensive walls have cracks, said the antiquities and museums directorate.

Inside the Citadel whose entrances were damaged, large parts of the dome of the lighthouse of the Ayyubid mosque also fell, while the facade of the Ottoman hospice was damaged, the directorate added.

"This earthquake is the strongest since 1995," said Raed Ahmed, director general of the National Seismological Center.

Rescue operation is currently going on in both the nations.