Turkey was rocked by a powerful second earthquake Monday afternoon, as the death toll from both quakes topped 1,900.
The initial earthquake, rated by the US Geological Survey at 7.8 on the Richter scale, struck in southern Turkey overnight, causing thousands of buildings in Turkey and northwest Syria to collapse.
Some two dozen aftershocks have been reported since the initial quake.
On Monday afternoon, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake was reported in Turkey.
The death toll in both countries rose Monday afternoon to a total of 1,904, including at least 1,121 in Turkey and 783 in Syria. Over 5,400 people have been reported injured in Turkey, with roughly 1,500 people reported injured in Syria.
Hundreds of additional victims are believed to be trapped under the rubble of toppled buildings.
“Because the debris removal efforts are continuing in many buildings in the earthquake zone, we do not know how high the number of dead and injured will rise,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. “Hopefully, we will leave these disastrous days behind us in unity and solidarity as a country and a nation.”
The earthquake is the most devastating to hit Turkey sine a 1999 quake killed roughly 18,000 in northern Turkey.
The city of Diyarbakir in Turkey was hardest hit Monday, along with the Syrian cities of Hama and Aleppo.