On Monday, an earthquake of 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Richter scale had hit Turkey and Syria that killed over 600 people. Many injured, while hundreds have rendered homeless.

However, the death toll may rise as the debris are cleared. Rescue operations are taking place at an war footing. However, the rescue operations is being hampered at some places due to snow and inclement weather.

According to Raed Ahmed, the head of Syria’s National Earthquake Centre, called the quake was “historically, the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the centre”. Over 300 locals have died in government-controlled parts of Syria, as well as the northern areas held by pro-Turkish factions. At least 284 people died in Turkey, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, More than 2,300 people had been injured and that search and rescue work was continuing in several major cities.

The earthquake struck predominantly Kurdish area of Turkey near Syria, a country gripped by more than a decade of violence that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

The exact intensity of the damages will known after the rescue operations are over. The number of deaths too will be known only after the rescue operations are complete as many people might be trapped under the debris. While some may be alive as miracles were seen in the past too. Locals also fear of fresh after shocks as it’s natural to have after shocks hitting the quake prone region. Locals in the region are scared, terrified and under trauma recalling the devastation.