(ANSA) - ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 06 - More than 700 people have lost their lives in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria overnight.
The Syrian civil protection NGO White Helmets (CaschiBianchi) has declared a state of emergency in the north-east of the country and has launched an appeal to international humanitarian organizations to intervene with aid quickly.
The earthquake occurred at 4:17 in the morning (2:17 Italian time) and had its epicenter near Gaziantep, a city in southeastern Turkey about fifty kilometers from the Syrian border.
Hundreds of buildings destroyed by the earthquake: in addition to homes, the Church of the Annunciation of Iskenderun, a Catholic cathedral dating back to the 19th century, almost completely collapsed.
The castle of Gaziantep, a Roman-era structure built in the third century, has been reduced to a pile of rubble.
Rescue operations continue, it is estimated that many people are still under the rubble and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is constantly informed on the situation.
The Civil Protection Department had initially issued an alert for a possible tsunami caused by the earthquake in Turkey but the alert was later revoked.
The United States has given its willingness to send "any type of assistance" to Ankara while a team of 370 people has already been sent from Azerbaijan to help with relief efforts.
The earthquake was also felt in the central provinces of Turkey and also in Israel.
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