At least 3,381 people were killed and 20,426 others injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye due to two strong earthquakes that jolted the southern part of the country, an official from the country’s disaster agency said early Tuesday.

Early Monday morning at 4.17 a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaraş province and strongly shook several other provinces, including Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis.

Then at 13.24pm, a 7.6 magnitude quake centred in Kahramanmaraş’s Elbistan district struck the region.

The Head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) Yunus Sezer said the quakes were followed by 243 aftershocks and 5,775 buildings collapsed.

Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced that it has deployed around 13,740 search and rescue personnel to the region affected by the earthquake.

AFAD also said 360 vehicles and 3,361 construction equipment were also dispatched to help in the rescue operation.

Earlier, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said a total of 7,840 people have been rescued from the rubble as 11,022 personnel in search and rescue teams are working in the field.

He added that 338,000 earthquake victims have been housed in dormitories, universities and shelters.

Turkish National Education Minister Mahmut Özer said education in Türkiye has been suspended until next Monday, February 13.

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu said all national sports events in Türkiye have been suspended until further notice.

Türkiye issued a level 4 alarm, which includes a call for international aid, AFAD said in a statement.

Following a discussion with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, AFAD also said that international assistance was called for through the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).

The earthquake also affected several neighbouring countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.