Following the devastating earthquake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared seven days of national mourning. The tremors caused severe damage in the south of the country and in Syria. The death toll has risen to several thousand. Rescue efforts are ongoing. 

International aid is underway. Turkey has asked the European Union, among others, for assistance. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, has called on the international community to help both Syria and Turkey. "The United Nations is mobilizing to support the relief effort. Let’s work together in solidarity to help all those affected by this catastrophe, many of whom were already in urgent need of humanitarian assistance," said Guterres. After the Earthquake: Overcrowded Hospitals The first earthquake recorded early Monday morning had a magnitude of 7.8. Subsequent to that, 145 aftershocks were recorded. The epicentre was in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş. Numerous buildings were destroyed and in Syria and Turkey tens of thousands are initially housed in temporary shelters.