this is very difficult for any single country. i really appreciate that 48 countries have now supported help to turkey because, as i say, this is a time that we do need to be quick. that s the rescue efforts in turkey. in syria, the country s civil defence service, also known as the white helmets, are working to rescue people. they spent the day digging through rubble. this is idlib prominence. it s fear of the number of dead will rise. people are feared stuck and trapped under all that rubble and similarly with the weather, freezing conditions will only make it even more challenging. ismail alab dallah is a member of the white helmets. i m hoping we can speak to him now
and turkey issues an international appeal for help. we ll be taking a look at how world leaders are responding. welcome to the programme. we begin in turkey and northern syria, where two powerful earthquakes have killed more than 2,000 people. many more injured and still missing. we ll look at the damage done and the rescue operations. first, let s see where this happened. the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 the epicentre in turkey s gaziantep province. there have been almost 30 other shocks in the region, all powerful enough to magnify the damage. a second major earthquake 130km north of the first one. these pictures show buildings collapsing in south east turkey. the country has declared a state of emergency. here s president erdogan. translation: we do not know how far
appeal for help we ll be taking a look at how world leaders are responding. we begin in turkey and northern syria where two powerful earthquakes have killed more than 2,500 people. many more injured and still missing. we ll look at the damage done and the rescue operations. first let s see where this happened. the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 the epicentre in turkey s gaziantep province. there have been almost 30 other shocks in the region all powerful enough to magnify the damage. a second major earthquake 130km north of the first one. these pictures show buildings collapsing in south east turkey. the country has declared a state of emergency. here s president erdogan.
well over 2,600 people have died after a massive earthquake in turkey and northern syria. situated on or near several fault lines, turkey is one of the world s most active earthquake zones. the country recorded more than 22,000 last year alone. many are deadly, the worst on record, a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999, killing more than 17,000 people. here s our science editor, rebecca morelle. the desperate hunt for survivors, after turkey s huge earthquake. at magnitude 7.8, it s one of the biggest to hit the region in more than 80 years. but turkey is all too familiar with these natural disasters. it s one of the world s most seismically active areas. the country sits among several tectonic plates, and there are two major fault lines where they meet. the east anatolian fault line is where the quake struck.
our middle east correspondent is in osmaniye in turkey. i arrived in adana earlier, as he to that city, buildings which have just collapsed where they stood our rescue workers, everybody who can particular young men, have been trying to pull away the rubble. i ve moved towards the epicentre, and it is in complete darkness. you can see what a devastating picture it is here this evening. it is absently pouring with rain, which is really hampering the rescue efforts. the only reason you can see me is because of car headlights. there is no power at all. the family behind me have chosen to come out on the streets because we re still feeling regular aftershocks. they let some wood, they re trying to stay warm.