Rescue operations continue in southern Turkey Video Credit: Anadolu Agency via Reuters

Thousands were killed across Turkey and Syria on Monday after a powerful earthquake and its many aftershocks ripped through sleeping towns and crowded cities, prompting a massive search-and-rescue effort in the frigid cold, even as hopes for survivors dimmed with the setting sun. The quake, which the US Geological Survey recorded at a 7.8 magnitude, was among the largest in Turkey in nearly a century, bringing death and destruction. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed, hospitals were overwhelmed, and infrastructure was damaged, including gas lines and civilian airports.

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Major earthquake strikes Turkey, Syria Reuters/Turkish Interior Ministry

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