UPDATE 5 - Powerful earthquakes kill at least 783 in Syria

UPDATES CASUALTIES

By Mahmoud Barakat, Omer Koparan, Esref Musa, and Ethem Emre Ozcan

IDLIB, Syria /ANKARA (AA) - At least 783 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Syria after a series of powerful earthquakes centered in southeastern Türkiye jolted the wider region early on Monday, according to figures compiled from the Syrian regime's Health Ministry and Syrian Civil Defense.

The state-run SANA news agency reported, citing the Health Ministry, that at least 403 people were killed and 1,284 others injured, while Syrian Civil Defense said 380 people were killed and more than 1,000 others injured in areas under opposition control in northwestern Syria.

Strong tremors hit the Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Raqqa regions of Syria, according to the news agency.

Syrian Civil Defense said the death toll is likely to rise as hundreds of families remain stuck under the debris of collapsed buildings.

Dozens of buildings were also destroyed or damaged in opposition-held areas in northern Syria, where rescue teams are frantically searching for survivors.

In various areas in northern Syria, at least 58 people have been killed and hundreds injured, according to information compiled by Anadolu from several local sources, including the Syrian Human Rights Network and hospitals.

*Seda Sevencan in Istanbul contributed to this report