GENEVA, February 7. /TASS/. More than 1,500 people have been killed and more than 3,500 injured in Syria as a result of a devastating earthquake, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Tuesday.

"The latest figures are that 175 buildings have collapsed in Aleppo, Latakia and Hama; 1,509 have died and 3,548 have been wounded," it said in a statement. "These number are expected to rise dramatically over the next 24 hours."

"Current assessments are that at least 4,000 families have lost their homes and 50,000 families are in need of immediate support," the statement said.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on Monday. Another powerful tremor struck a while later. According to the latest data, more than 3,300 people were killed in Turkey and more than 20,000 sustained injuries. In Syria, the hardest hit were the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Tartous and Hama in the country’s west and northwest.