It was in the early hours of Monday when a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye and northwestern Syria. Its tremor could be felt as far afield as Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the Palestinian territories. A second quake, which recorded a magnitude of 7.6, struck just eight hours later.

The initial earthquake struck the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, roughly 150 miles (241.4 kilometers) away from the Turkey-Syria border, at 4:17 a.m. local time at a depth of about 11 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The second earthquake, the epicenter of which was roughly 80 miles north of Gaziantep in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras province, struck at 1:24 p.m. local time and was 6 miles deep, according to the USGS.

Both countries at the center are still reeling from the devastating aftermath while rescue workers are working on the ground round the clock. So far, more than 8,000 people succumbed to the tragic calamity and tens of thousands more have been injured. Thousands of buildings have also been reduced to rubble.

Global response

Countries all around the globe have dispatched their rescue teams to Türkiye, while the European Union directs its satellite system to help map the destruction caused by the quake and assist in search and rescue efforts.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday confirmed that in addition to NATO and the EU, 45 countries have reached out to Ankara with offers of assistance, including the United States and even war-torn Ukraine.

The U.N. announced $25 million (TL 470.76 million) in humanitarian aid Tuesday for Türkiye and Syria following the deadly earthquakes. "It will help provide urgent lifesaving assistance to the region," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters.

The U.N. disaster assessment and coordination teams are in Adana and mobilizing to Gaziantep to support Türkiye's urban search and rescue teams. Those suffering through the calamity include thousands of Syrian refugees and the communities that have generously hosted them for nearly 12 years. ''We will do whatever the Turkish government wants us to do and try to be as helpful as possible,'' said Dujarric.

International charity Oxfam and the British Red Cross have launched an earthquake appeal. Oxfam said in a statement that its teams in Türkiye and Syria are assessing, along with partner organizations, the fastest and most appropriate humanitarian efforts to help affected people in the aftermath of Monday's devastating earthquake, the biggest in Türkiye since 1939.

The Oxfam affiliate in Türkiye has partnerships with around 80 women's cooperatives in the 10 Turkish provinces most affected by the quake and is currently assessing response plans with them given the scale of devastation.

Asia

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan happened to be the first country to send assistance after the first earthquake Monday. The country is sending two more planes carrying assistance personnel, materials and a field hospital to Türkiye through Adana, one of the 10 provinces hit by the two powerful earthquakes in the country's south on Monday.

"The plane that will deliver the mobile field hospital and 41 professional medical and non-medical personnel to the brotherly country has left Heydar Aliyev International Airport for Adana," a statement by the Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry said Tuesday.

A statement later said that the second plane departed from Baku carrying tents, blankets and heaters to help those injured in the earthquakes, as well as three containers with a mobile field hospital.

Pakistan

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has set up a relief fund to support the victims of Monday's massive earthquakes that jolted the southeastern region of Türkiye.

The first search and rescue teams from Pakistan arrived in Türkiye on Tuesday to support the ongoing relief and rescue operations in the quake-hit areas.

As a first step, the members of the federal Cabinet have announced they will each donate a one-month salary to the relief fund. The federal government employees from grades 18 to 22 will also donate their one-day salary to the premier's fund.

Addressing the Cabinet, Sharif said Ankara always supported Pakistan in any hour of need. "Helping our Turk brethren is our religious duty," Sharif asserted.

Afghanistan

Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, the interim Afghan Foreign Ministry said Afghanistan stands in solidarity with its Turkish brothers and sisters in this time of hardship.

The ministry also announced a relief package of 10 million afghanis (nearly $110,918) and 5 million afghanis to Türkiye and Syria, respectively, on the basis of shared humanity and Islamic brotherhood.

India

India has dispatched two batches of earthquake relief material on an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to Türkiye after two strong earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country, an official said Tuesday.

"Teams, including dog squads, search and rescue equipment, an 89-member medical team comprised of medical specialists and equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, oxygen tanks, cardiac monitors and associated equipment, will establish a 30-bed medical facility, and are ready to leave for Türkiye," said Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs.

A senior Indian minister visited the Turkish Embassy in New Delhi on Monday to express condolences over the devastation caused by the earthquakes.

Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said his country is ready to help Türkiye and deploy a military contingent of 300 personnel, including the Army Medical and Engineers Corps, according to local media outlet Lankaxpress.

Sabry said he contacted his Turkish counterpart and offered search and rescue assistance in the areas affected by the two powerful earthquakes. "We recall when the tsunami struck us in 2004, Türkiye provided immediate humanitarian assistance and built a housing complex for those who lost their houses," Sabry tweeted.

Malaysia

According to the statement made by the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has assigned 70 people from the Special Disaster and Rescue Team to assist local authorities in Gaziantep.

In addition, humanitarian aid of $2 million will be provided and a second rescue team will set off tonight and arrive in Istanbul tomorrow morning.

Japan

"The government of Japan will dispatch the second half of the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Urban Search and Rescue Team to Türkiye," the ministry said in a statement.

Tokyo dispatched the first rescue and search team and humanitarian aid on Monday night to join relief operations in the wake of the devastating earthquake and will continue to further assess the damage on the ground and consider necessary assistance based on the needs of the Turkish government," said the ministry.

Kazakhstan

An emergency team from Kazakhstan is on the way to Gaziantep in southern Türkiye, including rescuers and doctors. It departed from the city of Almaty with critical rescue equipment and devices to aid in search efforts, Kazakhstan's Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.

Europe

Under the EU's emergency response mechanism, 11 teams have already arrived in Türkiye to assist in rescue efforts, with 16 more on their way, the European Commission announced Tuesday.

Nineteen EU member states – Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Greek Cypriot administration, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain – sent rescue teams, as well as associate countries Montenegro and Albania.

"In total, 1,185 rescuers and 79 search dogs have been offered by the European countries. These numbers could rise further," said a European Commission statement. Türkiye, though not a member of the bloc, is a member of the EU's emergency response mechanism.

Later, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a tweet that mine rescuers from Poland are also heading to Türkiye, with 76 firefighters and eight search and rescue dogs to support Türkiye. The team already reached the country with 20 tons of equipment.

Non-member Switzerland also sent aid to Türkiye, with its Foreign Ministry tweeting that Swiss Rescue took off from Zurich on Monday night and was "about to arrive" to assist rescue workers and "help the injured and missing, as well as their families."

Swiss rescue dog service REDOG said on Monday that it was sending 22 rescuers with 14 dogs to Türkiye. In addition, 80 search and rescue personnel, including army disaster experts, are being sent to Türkiye, according to the government.

Africa

A South African-based humanitarian organization dispatched search, rescue and medical teams to Türkiye to help victims of Monday's deadly quakes.

Kenya will be sending aid to alleviate human suffering in Türkiye in the wake of the deadly earthquakes in the country's south, Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said Tuesday.

"We are coordinating with other government agencies to be able to send search and rescue specialist teams to the two nations to assist in the ongoing operations," he added.

Mutua also called on Kenyans to donate supplies including food, clothing and medicines as well as funds to aid relief efforts in the affected regions of Türkiye.

U.S.

A U.S. search and rescue team departed Tuesday bound for earthquake-stricken parts of southeastern Türkiye to join efforts to search for survivors as the death toll continues to climb.

The American team includes 161 personnel from emergency response departments in Los Angeles and Virginia, 12 dogs and more than 170 pounds of specialized equipment, United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for International Assistance said on Twitter. They are set to join USAID personnel already working on the ground.

Cambodia

Cambodia on Wednesday announced $100,000 in humanitarian aid for Türkiye following Monday's pair of deadly earthquakes.

In a statement, the Royal Government of Cambodia extended condolences to the government and people of Türkiye, especially the bereaved families, and best wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured and affected people. In the spirit of close friendship and solidarity with the government of Türkiye, the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to make a humble contribution of $100,000 in humanitarian aid to assist the ongoing relief efforts, it added.

Middle East

Qatar is sending 10,000 mobile homes to Türkiye and Syria after the violent earthquakes that struck the two countries.

A statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the move "is part of Qatari efforts to contribute to relieving the quake-affected people in Syria and Türkiye." On Monday, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ordered the launch of an airlift to help quake victims in Türkiye.

Australia

Australia announced on Wednesday that it would immediately dispatch a 72-member search and rescue team to southern Türkiye in the aftermath of two deadly earthquakes that affected 10 provinces.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the 72-member team would help local authorities in their ongoing search and rescue operation. The team includes urban search and rescue specialists who are highly trained to locate, provide medical assistance and evacuate victims who have become trapped or impacted by structural collapse, she told the Parliament.