More than 4,000 killed in Turkey, Syria after powerful earthquake and aftershocks

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey early Monday killed more than 4,000 people there and in neighboring Syria, officials said, as rescuers searched flattened buildings in frigid weather for survivors. The earthquake — felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt — occurred in Kahramanmaras province, north of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, and the number of people killed, injured and displaced probably will climb.

The initial quake was followed by dozens of powerful aftershocks, including one recorded at 7.5 magnitude in the same fault zone of south-central Turkey on Monday afternoon. Most of the damage is in southern Turkey and northern and central Syria.