Syria earthquake death toll rises to 237

“No official numbers yet ... but dozens reported dead and hundreds injured, many trapped under the rubble,” the force, known as the White Helmets, said in a Twitter message, Syrian civil defence in rebel-held northwestern Idlib said earlier.

Many buildings in the affected areas had already suffered damage in fighting during Syria's nearly 12-year-long civil war.

The US Geological Survey said the deadly tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) on Monday at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep in Turkey.