Two massive earthquakes struck northern Syria and south-eastern Turkey, where more than 15,000 people are reportedly dead and tens of thousands injured. The World Health Organisation fears that the number of people killed in the earthquake would be in excess of 20,000.

Massive evacuation work is underway but aftershocks, cold temperatures and dilapidated roads are hampering efforts to reach and rescue those affected by Monday’s earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

The epicentre of the earthquake was near the Turkish city of Gaziantep. The first earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck at 4 in the morning on February 6, when most people were sleeping. Twelve hours later, a second quake, which was nearly as large, struck 130km to the north. Apart from these two massive shakes, about 60 aftershocks were also recorded.

In the video, The Wire's Zeeshan Kaskar speaks with W.S.H. Awwad, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Syrian state news agency SANA who tells us more about the situation in Syria. He also speaks with journalist Ali Mustafa from TRT World to understand the situation in Turkey.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.