Earthquake Hits Turkey and Syria, Killing Hundreds Of People in their beds.

A powerful earthquake has hit Turkey and Syria, killing hundreds of people as they slept in their beds.

The 7.8-magnitude quake, which struck early on Monday, leveled buildings and sent tremors that were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus, Egypt and Iraq.

Thousands more were injured as the quake wiped out entire sections of major cities in a region filled with millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria.

The death toll had been put at 237 in government-controlled parts of Syria, 147 in rebel-held northern Syria and 284 in Turkey, which has now experienced its worst quake in 80 years..

The toll is expected to rise as rescue workers and residents searched frantically for survivors under the rubble of crushed buildings in cities on both sides of the border.

The number of confirmed casualties rose rapidly on Monday morning as rescue teams rushed to find survivors. Tremors were felt as far away as Lebanon, Greece, Israel and the island of Cyprus.