Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A powerful earthquake hit Turkey today - the tremors were so strong that they affected six regions of the country at once. In addition, they were felt even in Northern Cyprus, in Beirut (Lebanon), Latakia and Damascus (Syria). Collected everything that is known about the incident at the moment.

The earthquake occurred at 04:17 Moscow time in the area of Pazarcık and Kahramanmarash at a depth of 7 kilometers. The magnitude was 7.8 (out of 10) in Kahramanmarash and 7.4 in Pazarcık. The Turkish authorities have declared a Level 4 Alert (the highest level) and have asked for international assistance.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the death toll in Turkey had risen to 284. More than 230 people have died in Syria, state media reported. The Syrian Health Ministry said there were earthquake victims in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.

There are fears that the death toll will rise sharply in the coming hours.

Dozens of people remain under the rubble of buildings in the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia and Hama. The Syrian government clarified that Aleppo, Hama and Latakia suffered the most. The Syrian Defense Ministry said that it is planned to involve the army in the elimination of the consequences. According to the Department of Museums of Syria, the UN world heritage site - the citadel of Aleppo - was damaged during the earthquake.

In total, according to the Turkish authorities, at least 22 tremors occurred in the country, 10 provinces were affected. Authorities urge people not to use transport, not to go into houses, not to call emergency services unnecessarily.