The rescue was hampered by a winter blizzard which covered major roads with ice and snow. Officials said the quake disabled three major airports in the region, further complicating the delivery of vital aid.
‘ran for the door’
The US Geological Survey said the first quake struck at 04:17 a.m. (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 18 kilometers (11 miles) near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, home to about two million people.
The Geological Institute of Denmark said the main quake hit Greenland’s east coast eight minutes after the one in Turkey.
Osama Abdel Hamid, a survivor of the earthquake in Syria, said his family was sleeping when the tremors began.
“I woke up my wife and my kids and we ran to the door,” he said. “We opened it and suddenly the whole building collapsed.”
A spokesman for Syria’s civil defense said teams were working to rescue the trapped people.
Ismail Albadallah said, “Many buildings collapsed in various towns and villages in northwestern Syria… Many families are still under the rubble.”
Washington, the European Union and Russia all immediately sent condolences and offers of help.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to provide “necessary assistance” to Turkey, whose combat drones are helping Kyiv fight off the Russian offensive.