Breaking: Earthquakes Rock Turkey, Syria, Claiming at Least 1,600 Lives

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near the Turkish-Syrian border early Monday morning followed by another magnitude 7.5 tremor hours later, claiming the lives of at least 1,600 people.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that at least 812 people were killed in Turkey and over 5,000 injured. At least 700 people have also been reported dead in Northwest Syria, the New York Times reported.

"We do not know where the number of dead and injured can go," Erdoğan told the press on Monday. More than 3,000 Turkish buildings were destroyed, he added.

The epicenter of the earthquakes was the Turkish border city of Gaziantep which is home to one of the largest United Nations-run refugee sites hosting those fleeing the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

Earthquakes Rock Turkey, Syria, Claiming at Least 1,600 Lives At least 5,000 people were injured in Turkey, Erdoğan ... READ MORE ADVERTISEMENT Follow Us & Share 19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY, 10036, USA Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.