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Overwhelmed rescuers are struggling to save people trapped under the rubble as the death toll from a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria rose past 4400, with despair mounting and the scale of the disaster hampering relief efforts.

In the Turkish city of Antakya near the Syrian border, where 10-storey buildings crumbled onto the streets, Reuters journalists saw rescue work being conducted on one out of dozens of mounds of rubble.

The temperature was close to freezing on Tuesday as the rain came down and there was no electricity or fuel in the city.

The magnitude 7.8 quake hit Turkey and neighbouring Syria early on Monday, toppling thousands of buildings including many apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands of people injured or homeless.

In Turkey, the death toll climbed to 2921 people, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said.

The death toll in Syria, already devastated by more than 11 years of war, stands at more than 1500, according to the Syrian government and a rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest.

Freezing winter weather hampered search efforts through the night.

In Kahramanmaras, north of Antakya, families gathered around fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to stay warm.

AFAD said nearly 8000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings destroyed in the tremors a day earlier.

It said 13,740 search and rescue personnel were deployed and more than 41,000 tents, 100,000 beds and 300,000 blankets had been sent to the region. "The delivery of personnel and vehicles continued uninterrupted during the night," it said.

The earthquake, which was followed by aftershocks, was the biggest recorded worldwide by the US Geological Survey since one in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021.

Another earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck central Turkey on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

Monday's quake was the deadliest in Turkey since one of similar magnitude in 1999 that killed more than 17,000. Nearly 16,000 were reported injured in Monday's quake.

Poor internet connections and damaged roads between some of the worst-hit Turkish cities, homes to millions of people, hindered efforts to assess the impact and plan help.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, preparing for a tough election in May, called the quake a historic disaster and said authorities were doing all they could.

In the Turkish city of Iskenderun, rescuers climbed an enormous pile of debris that was once part of a state hospital's intensive care unit in search of survivors. Health workers did what they could to tend to the new rush of injured.

"We have a patient who was taken into surgery but we don't know what happened," said Tulin, a woman in her 30s, standing outside the hospital, wiping away tears and praying.

In Syria, the effects of the quake were compounded by the destruction of more than 11 years of civil war.

In the rebel-held northwest, the death toll stands at more than 740 people, according to the Syrian civil defence, a rescue service known for digging people from the rubble of government air strikes.

The civil defence said hundreds of families were trapped under the rubble and time was running out to save them.

A top United Nations humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles to its response.

"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged, we have to be creative in how to get to the people ... but we are working hard," UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters in an interview via video link from Damascus.

The Syrian health ministry said the death toll in government-held areas stood at 764 people.

© RAW 2023

Overwhelmed rescuers are struggling to save people trapped under the rubble as the death toll from a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria rose past 5000, with despair mounting and the scale of the disaster hampering relief efforts.

The magnitude 7.8 quake - Turkey's deadliest since 1999 - hit early on Monday, toppling thousands of buildings including many apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands of people injured or homeless in Turkish and Syrian cities.

In the Turkish city of Antakya near the Syrian border, where 10-storey buildings had crumbled onto the streets, Reuters journalists saw rescue work being conducted on one out of dozens of mounds of rubble.

The temperature was close to freezing on Tuesday as the rain came down and there was no electricity or fuel in the city.

Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people were affected in an area spanning about 450 kilometres from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east, and 300km from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south. In Syria, authorities have reported deaths as far south as Hama, some 100km from the epicentre.

In Turkey, the death toll climbed to 3419 people, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, adding that severe weather was making it difficult to bring aid to the regions.

In Syria, where the quake did further damage to infrastructure already devastated by 11 years of war, the death toll stands at just over 1600, according to the government and a rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest.

Freezing winter weather hampered search efforts through the night.

Ankara declared a "level 4 alarm" that calls for international assistance, but not a state-of-emergency that would lead to mass mobilisation of the military.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said 5775 buildings had been destroyed in the quake, which had been followed by 285 aftershocks, and that 20,426 people had been injured.

The World Health Organisation was especially concerned about areas of Turkey and Syria where no information had emerged since the quake struck, its chief said.

"It's now a race against time," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes."

In the Syrian city of Hama, Abdallah al Dahan said funerals of several families who perished were taking place on Tuesday.

"It's a terrifying scene in every sense," said Dahan, contacted by phone.

"In my whole life I haven't seen anything like this, despite everything that has happened to us," he added. Mosques had opened their doors to families whose homes were damaged.

The death toll in Syrian government-held areas rose to 812, the state news agency SANA reported.

In the rebel-held northwest, the death toll was more than 790 people, according to the Syrian civil defence, a rescue service known as the White Helmets and famous for digging people from the rubble of government air strikes.

"There are lot of efforts by our teams, but they are unable to respond to the catastrophe and the large number of collapsed buildings," group head Raed al-Saleh said.

A top United Nations humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles to its response.

"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged, we have to be creative in how to get to the people," UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters from Damascus.

The earthquake was the biggest recorded worldwide by the US Geological Survey since one in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021.

Poor internet connections and damaged roads between some of the worst-hit Turkish cities, homes to millions of people, hindered efforts to assess the impact and plan help.

With tight elections scheduled in three months, President Tayyip Erdogan's government faces a likely multi-billion-dollar reconstruction challenge just as he was ramping up his re-election campaign.

The economy, already strained by inflation at 58 per cent, is expected to grow a bit less than previously expected this year, analysts say.

© RAW 2023

Australia will give $10 million in humanitarian assistance to help response efforts following Turkey's devastating earthquake.

The death toll from Monday's quake has risen to more than 4300.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia's consular services were working with local authorities to follow up on a "small number" of citizens in affected areas.

"It is a crisis that is affecting so many of our fellow human beings. We will continue to monitor the unfolding situation on the ground," she told the Senate.

The government will provide $7m to Turkey, of which $4m will be provided through Red Cross and Red Crescent partners to support the injured and evacuation efforts with food and items such as tents and blankets.

A further $3m will be allocated as needs become clearer.

In Syria, $3m will be administered by UNICEF to help with shelter, clean water and sanitation, with the Syrian aid to focus on women and girls.

New Zealand will also provide $1.5m.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conveyed Australia's condolences, saying the nation was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and devastation.

"All of the world's thoughts and condolences are with the people in this region who are suffering at this time," he said.

Turkish ambassador to Australia Ufuk Gezer said it was a "tragedy of unprecedented level", with the rescue effort hampered by "quite difficult" conditions.

"More than 13,000 rescue workers have been dispatched," he told Sky News.

"We sent more than 3000 (pieces of) heavy equipment to the area for lifting of the rubble and helping with the rescue efforts and, in addition to that, more than 45 countries have sent search and rescue teams."

He said he was pleased with the Australian response, and officials were seeking to get information out to 150,000 Turkish Australians wanting to contact their loved ones.

"The communication lines were down for a couple of hours, but now - despite some hiccups - they're pretty much OK ... and we've been trying to help to our citizens who are residing in Australia to the best of our ability."

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham also expressed his condolences, reflecting on his conversation with the Turkish ambassador.

"None of us imagine that the homes we are living in will collapse upon us in the middle of the night," he said.

Senator Birmingham also praised the rescue efforts and volunteers working in the disaster zones.

© AAP 2023