The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria Monday, killing nearly 1,900 people in their sleep, levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland. The 7.8-magnitude early morning quake, followed hours later by a slightly smaller one, wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region filled with millions who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts. Rescuers used heavy equipment and their bare hands to peel back rubble in search of survivors, who they could in some cases hear begging for help under the rubble. The initial quake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks, including a 7.5-magnitude tremor that jolted the region in the middle of search and rescue work on Monday afternoon.

Here are the latest updates:

'People under rubble'

Images on Turkish television showed rescuers digging through rubble across city centres and residential neighbourhoods of almost all the big cities running along the border with Syria.

Some of the heaviest devastation occurred near the quake's epicentre between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, where entire city blocks lay in ruins under the gathering snow.

A famous mosque dating back to the 13th century partially collapsed in the province of Maltaya, where a 14-story building with 28 apartments housed 92 people also collapsed.

In other cities, social media posts showed a 2,200-year-old hilltop castle built by Roman armies in Gaziantep lying in ruins, its walls partially turned to rubble.

"We hear voices here - and over there, too," one rescuer was overheard as saying on NTV television in front of a flattened building in the city of Diyarbakir.

"There may be 200 people under the rubble."

783 dead in Syria after Turkey earthquake: new toll

At least 783 people were killed Monday across Syria following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that had its epicentre in southwestern Turkey, the government and rescuers said.

The Syrian health ministry said the death toll rose to "1,284 injured and 403 dead in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Tartus" - all government-controlled areas.

The White Helmets rescue group that operates in rebel-held areas of the war-torn country said "the death toll from the earthquake in northwestern Syria has risen to more than 380 and more than 1,000 injured".

Pope 'deeply saddened' by quake in Turkey, SyriaThe Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis was "deeply saddened" by a major earthquake in Turkey and Syria that has killed more than 1,600 people. "His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the huge loss of life caused by the earthquake... he sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected," wrote the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin in a statement. 03:27PM

Adana Airport closed for flights

The airport in the southern Turkish province of Adana was closed for flights until further notice following major earthquakes in the area on Monday, the private Demiroren news agency said.

No further details were immediately available.

WHY TURKEY IS PRONE TO EARTHQUAKES Turkey sits on the Anatolian tectonic plate, which is located between the Eurasian, African and Arabian plates. Quakes and tremors are common in the country as the major Eurasian and African plates shift. More than 22,000 have been recorded in 2022 in Turkey, which is located near several fault lines. The last major earthquake was on October 23, 2011, when a magnitude 7.2 one rocked southeast Turkey, killing more than 600 people. According to the BBC, Gaziantep earthquake in a region of instability called the East Anatolian fault. Though this fault is very dangerous, there hasn’t been any major seismic activity for over 100 years.

Baniyas oil refinery suspends operations

Syria's Baniyas oil refinery will suspend operations for 48 hours following a deadly earthquake in Turkey, state news agency SANA reported on Monday citing an oil ministry statement.

560 killed across Syria

At least 560 people were killed across Syria after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck neighbouring Turkey before dawn on Monday, the government and rescue workers said.

The official news agency SANA, citing the health ministry, said at least 339 people were killed and 1,089 injured in government-controlled areas of the war-torn country. The White Helmets rescue group said at least 221 were killed and 419 injured in rebel-held areas.

Second earthquake of magnitude 7.5 hits Turkey

An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck the Central Turkey region on Monday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

It occurred at a depth of 7 km, AFAD said adding that the epicenter of the quake was Elbistan region of Kahramanmaras province. Earlier on Monday a major quake struck the same region, leading to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

Tremor reported in Dohuk, Erbil and Mosul

Residents in the Iraqi provinces of Dohuk and Mosul and the Kurdish capital Erbil reported feeling a light tremor, state media reported on Monday, following an earthquake in Syria.

Turkey death toll climbs to 912

Turkey's President Recep Erdogan says 912 people have been killed in Turkey alone, and 5,383 wounded, due to the earthquake.

He adds that he can't predict how much the death toll will rise as search and rescue efforts continue.

Turkey declines Musk's offer to send Starlink

The Turkish government declined Elon Musk's proposal to send a satellite broadband service to the country after the strongest earthquake to hit the country in decades.

Musk said on Twitter that one of his companies, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., could provide the Starlink network as soon as approved by the Turkish government.

A senior Turkish official thanked the multi-billionaire for the proposal but said Turkey had enough satellite capacity. The country has base stations working with batteries though electricity cannot be provided to some areas, the person said.

Turkish military sets up air aid corridor

The Turkish armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search and rescue teams to reach the zone affected by the major earthquake in southern Turkey, the country's defence ministry said on Monday.

"We mobilised our planes to send medical teams, search and rescue teams and their vehicles to the earthquake zone," the statement cited Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying.

'Totally destroyed'

Footage from the Syrian border town of Azaz - an area held by opposition forces - showed a rescue worker carrying a toddler from a damaged building.

"The situation is very tragic, tens of buildings have collapsed in the city of Salqin," a member of the White Helmets rescue organisation said in a video clip on Twitter, referring to another town about 5 km (3 miles) from the Turkish border.

The embassy today advised Emiratis in Turkey to stay away from earthquake-affected areas and follow instructions issued by competent authorities for their own safety.

In case of any emergency, Emiratis can contact the embassy on +97180044444.

Rescue workers search for survivors

Rescue workers and residents frantically searched for survivors under the rubble of crushed buildings in multiple cities on both sides of the border. In one quake-struck Turkish city, dozens pulled away chunks of concrete and twisted metal. People on the street shouted up to others inside a partially toppled apartment building, leaning dangerously.

The quake struck at 04:17 am local time (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 17.9 kilometres (11 miles), the US agency said, with a 6.7-magnitude aftershock striking 15 minutes later.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) put the magnitude of the quake at 7.4 near Kahramanmaras and the larger city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a series of further earthquakes following the initial tremor, which it put at a magnitude of 7.8. There was a quake measuring 6.7 in Gaziantep and another of 5.6 in the city's Nurdag area.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), while the EMSC monitoring service said it was assessing the risk of a tsunami.

Tremors were also felt in the Turkish capital of Ankara, 460 km (286 miles) northwest of the epicentre, and in Cyprus, where police reported no damage.

'People under rubble'

Images on Turkish television showed rescuers digging through the rubble of levelled buildings in the city of Kahramanmaras and neighbouring Gaziantep, where entire sections of cities were destroyed.

A fire lit up the night sky in one image from Kahramanmaras, although its origin remained unclear.

Buildings also crumbled in the cities of Adiyaman, Malatya and Diyarbakir, where reporters saw panicked people rush out on the street. A famous mosque dating back to the 13th century partially collapsed in the province of Maltaya, where a 14-story building with 28 apartments also collapsed.

In other cities, anguished rescuers struggled to reach survivors trapped under the debris.  "We hear voices here - and over there, too," one rescuer was overheard as saying on NTV television in front of a flattened building in the city of Diyarbakir. "There may be 200 people under the rubble."

42 aftershocks

A total of 42 aftershocks have been felt in the two hours since the quake first struck at 4.17 am local time, according to Turkey’s ministry of interior disaster and emergency management.

The ministry issued a statement, saying: As of 6:30am, a total of 42 aftershocks, the largest of which was 6.6, were experienced.”

The quake, felt as far away as Cairo, was centered north of the city of Gaziantep in an area about 90 kilometers (60 miles) from the Syrian border.

Focus on search and rescue 

The tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350 km (218 miles)to the east, where a security official said at least 17 buildings collapsed.

Authorities said 16 structures collapsed in Sanliurfa and 34 in Osmaniye.

Broadcasters TRT and Haberturk showed footage of people picking through building wreckage, moving stretchers and seeking survivors in Kahramanmaras, where it was still dark.

"Our primary job is to carry out the search and rescue work and to do that all our teams are on alert," Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters.

"The earthquake struck in a region that we feared. There is serious widespread damage," Kerem Kinik, the chief of the Turkish Red Crescent relief agency, told Haberturk, issuing an appeal for blood donations.

CNN Turk television said the quake was also felt across parts of central Turkey and the capital Ankara.

Many buildings destroyed

Kahramanmaras Governor Omer Faruk Coskun said it was too early to estimate the death toll because so many buildings were destroyed.

"It is not possible to give the number of dead and injured at the moment because so many buildings have been destroyed," Coskun said. "The damage is serious."

Victims stuck under rubble

Syrian civil defence operating in rebel-held areas said on Monday that a powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and northern Syria had left "tens of victims and people stuck under the rubble" of collapsed buildings in the country's north-west.

The civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said in a post on Twitter that the volunteer group was working to rescue survivors.

Television images showed shocked people standing in the snow in their pyjamas, watching rescuers dig through the debris of damaged homes.

Rescue teams dispatched: Erdogan

"I convey my best wishes to all our citizens who were affected by the earthquake," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted.

"We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage."

The earthquake levelled dozens of buildings across major cities of southern Turkey as well as neighbouring Syria, a country gripped by more than a decade of violence that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions of people.

Turkey and Syria earthquake: In Pictures

People search through rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 6, 2023 in this still image taken from video. Image Credit: Reuters A young injured girl awaits treatment at a hospital follwoing an earthquake, in the border town of Azaz in the rebel-held north of the Aleppo province early on February 6, 2023.Image Credit: AFP Rescuers work amid the rubble from collapsed and damaged buildings following an earthquake, in Hama, Syria, February 6, 2023.Image Credit: Sham FM/Handout via Reuters A man walks past by a collapsed building after an earthquake in Malatya, Turkey February 6, 2023. Image Credit: Reuters Syrian rescuers retrieve and injured man from the rubble of a collapsed building follwoing an earthquake, in the border town of Azaz in the rebel-held north of the Aleppo province, early on February 6, 2023.Image Credit: AFP Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, following an earthquake, in rebel-held Azaz, Syria February 6, 2023.Image Credit: ReutersView gallery as list 06:45AM

'Biggest earthquake' 

The tremors were felt in Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus, according to AFP correspondents.

Syrian state television reported that a building near Latakia, on the west coast of Syria, had collapsed.

Pro-government media said several buildings had partially collapsed in Hama, central Syria, with civil defence and firefighters working to pull survivors out of the rubble.

In Damascus, buildings shook and many people went down to the streets in fear.

The quake jolted residents in Lebanon from beds, shaking buildings for about 40 seconds. Many residents of Beirut left their homes and took to the streets or drove in their cars away from buildings.

The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.

Raed Ahmed, who heads Syria's National Earthquake Centre, told pro-government radio that this was "historically, the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the centre".

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at a depth of 10

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and had an epicenter near the town of Gaziantep, according to a report from GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam.

The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

Multiple strong aftershocks have been felt across the region, including as far away as Lebanon and Israel.

Turkey is in one of the world's most active earthquake zones.

The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999 - the worst to hit Turkey in decades.

That quake killed more than 17,000 people, including about 1,000 in Istanbul.

Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, which has allowed widespread building without safety precautions.

A magnitude-6.8 quake hit Elazig in January 2020, killing more than 40 people.

And in October that year, a magnitude-7.0 quake hit the Aegean Sea, killing 114 people and wounding more than 1,000.