Watch: Earthquake in Turkey splits Hatay airport runway into two

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria that hit on Monday, that has claimed over 5,000 lives so far, and has left trails of destruction behind.

In Turkey's Hatay province, the only runway at the airport has been left completely unusable. Videos and images of the runway are being widely shared across social media platforms.

The videos show the runway completely destroyed and split into two by the tremors.

On Monday, thousands of buildings collapsed after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks struck Turkey and Syria.

As per the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9 km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep.  

Countries around the world dispatched teams to assist in the rescue efforts, and Turkey’s disaster management agency said more than 24,400 emergency personnel were now on the ground, said a report by Associated Press.

Among the countries that offered help to quake struck Turkey is India. On Tuesday, the first Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 flight carrying national disaster response force (NDRF) personnel as well as relief materials reached Turkey.

"First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 @NDRFHQ Search and Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, relief material, medicines and other necessary utilities and equipment reaches Adana,Türkiye," external affairs minister S Jaishankar tweeted.

He added that a second plane is also getting ready for departure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed the officials to offer all possible assistance to Turkey.

Two teams of NDRF comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment are ready to be flown to the earthquake-hit area for search and rescue operations, the PMO said.  

Also Read: Turkey Earthquake: Death toll over 5,000 as fifth earthquake unfolds humanitarian crisis

Also Read: Flight operations at Bengaluru airport to be impacted for 10 days; here's why