A 7.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks wreaked havoc in Turkey and Syria early this morning, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring more than 5,000 in one of the strongest tremors since 1939.
The death toll is expected to rise sharply in the coming hours.
The earthquake was felt in Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel. Gaziantep in Turkey was the epicenter, where a 2,000-year-old historical landmark—Gaziantep Castle—was destroyed.
The UK and France have pledged to send aid to Turkey.
Collapsed buildings across the countries raise fear of high casualty. The Turkish government deployed over 1,000 search and rescue teams to save people stuck under the rubble.