Desperate searches for survivors from multiple earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria over the past 48-hours continued Tuesday with the discovery of more bodies taking the death toll past 5,000.
There are fears that toll will rise inexorably, with some relief agency officials estimating up to 20,000 may have died, AFP reports.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning on Monday night as the extent of the damage and death toll became clearer.
The initial earthquake was so large it was felt as far away as Greenland, and the impact is big enough to have sparked a global response.
The head of the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) said he was especially concerned about areas of Turkey and Syria from which no information had emerged following a major earthquake that killed thousands.
Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue…
