Major earthquake strikes Turkey, Syria; about 200 dead, many trapped

By Umit Ozdal and Ece Toksabay DIYARBAKIR/ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) – A major earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, killing about 200 people as buildings collapsed across the snowy region, and triggering a search for survivors trapped in rubble. The quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning, was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon. “I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I’ve lived,” said Erdem, a resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicentre, who declined to give his surname. “We were shaken at least th…

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