At least 8,000 people are dead and hundreds more are missing after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday morning. The numbers of dead and injured are expected to rise in the weeks ahead..Overnight, thousands of people huddled in the freezing dark waiting for assistance from rescuers. Thousands remain trapped under the wreckage of buildings, but help has not yet come to rescue them. One Turkish reporter claimed they were receiving texts and phone calls from people still trapped under rubble..Overnight, Turkey was rocked by another earthquake of 5.6 magnitude, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.."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 during an address on Monday. He has designated 10 cities as disaster zones and said there'll be a three-month state of emergency in each.."Our hope is that we recover from this disaster with the least loss of life possible.".More than 3,400 people have died in a total of 10 Turkish provinces, with more than 20,000 injured. In Syria, the death toll in government-held areas is 711 people, with 1,431 injured. In the rebel-held northwest area of the country, more than 700 were killed while 2,000 more were injured..The United States Geological Survey said the initial earthquake happened about 33 km away from the Turkish provincial capital of Gaziantep. A series of aftershocks have continued to hit the city throughout the day, including a 7.5 magnitude aftershock that hit nine hours after the original..In Turkey, thousands of people trying to leave the destroyed areas caused traffic jams, preventing emergency teams from quickly reaching the effected areas. In the city of Diyarbakir, hundreds of rescue workers and civilians formed lines to remove pieces of wreckage as they searched for survivors..Social media in the country has been plastered with footage of people being rescued from the rubble..In Turkey ne of Gaziantep's most famous landmarks, a historic castle in the centre of the city, was heavily damaged. The castle dates back more than 2,000 years, to the time of the Roman Empire..Video footage from Turkey showed buildings collapsing from the severe earthquake shocks. The efforts of rescue workers to sift through the debris have been hampered by cold weather and snow..Turkey is situated on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. The last time Turkey was hit with such a powerful earthquake was back in 1939, when one of the same magnitude killed 30,000 people. Back in 1999, some 18,000 people were killed by several powerful earthquakes..Over 80 countries have offered to supply aid to Turkey, including Canada, the United States, Germany, Russia and Israel.."The reports and images from Turkey and Syria are devastating," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, QC) said on Twitter. "Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these major earthquakes, and our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. Canada stands ready to provide assistance.".Aaccording to the World Health Organisation, as many as 23 million Turkish and Syrian people, including one million children, will suffer some form of consequences because of the earthquakes.
