Turkey earthquake tremors felt as far away as Greenland

Tremors reached Denmark and Greenland minutes after quake hit south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria

An iceberg in Greenland. Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash

Tremors from the devastating earthquake that has killed at least 1,400 people in Turkey and Syria were felt as far away as Greenland.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday, trapping thousands of people while they slept.

Scientists said the tremors, initially reported across the Middle East and the Mediterranean, reached as far as Greenland.

“The large earthquakes in Turkey were clearly registered on the seismographs in Denmark and Greenland," seismologist Tine Larsen told AFP.

More than 1,400 people have been confirmed killed so far, with at least 912 of the victims in Turkey. In both countries, emergency workers and civilians are fighting to free the unknown number of people trapped beneath rubble.

“The waves from the earthquake reached the seismograph on the Danish island of Bornholm approximately five minutes after the shaking started,” Ms Larsen said.

“Eight minutes after the earthquake, the shaking reached the east coast of Greenland, propagating further through all of Greenland,” she added.

A number of aftershocks, including a later 7.6-magnitude earthquake, were also felt in Greenland.

“We have registered both earthquakes — and a lot of aftershocks — in Denmark and Greenland,” said Ms Larsen.

Monday's quake is the deadliest in Turkey since 1999 when more than 17,000 people died, including about 1,000 in Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it is the deadliest incident in Turkey since 1939, and that the death toll is likely to rise further.

At least 45 countries have offered to assist Turkey with search and rescue operations, the President said on Monday afternoon.

Teams from the EU are already en route, with Israel also expected to send teams as soon as possible.

Syria's White Helmets have made emotional pleas for help, where hundreds have been killed in both regime and rebel-held areas.

North-west Syria is in a “state of catastrophe” and hundreds of families remain trapped, it said.