Heartbreak in Turkiye and Syria after a powerful earthquake and multiple aftershocks devastate the region.  

Rescue teams are digging through flattened buildings in search of survivors.  

A massive rescue operation is underway across southeast Turkiye and northern Syria, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks leveled thousands of buildings. Rescuers are combing through the rubble in search of survivors and working in near-freezing temperatures.

Countries around the world are rushing to send search and rescue teams, equipment and aid.  

Joining the discussion:

• Madevi Sun-Suon is the Head of Communications and Reporting with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Turkiye.    
• Filippo Agostino is the Country Representative for Syria with the AVSI Foundation.  
• Luna Safwan is an independent journalist based in Istanbul.  
• Yakzan Shishakly is the CEO of the Maram Foundation in Gaziantep. 

LATEST: More than 7,000 people are dead following Monday's devastating quake and powerful aftershocks, according to officials. https://t.co/t840lX0K1g

— ABC News (@ABC) February 7, 2023

Residents in a Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble of a five-story apartment building leveled by this week’s devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said. https://t.co/ChC8JYf2rU

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 7, 2023

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye on Monday have directly affected more than 13 million people living in the area as some still remain under the rubble and many more have left their homes for fear of aftershocks #TurkiyeQuakes pic.twitter.com/LAdgCoE95w

— TRT World (@trtworld) February 7, 2023