Dilay Yalcin
Reporting from Istanbul

Turkey's largely government-friendly news channels have been focusing on rescue efforts by locals and teams battling cold and rain, but users on social media in provinces hit by the earthquakes are saying there have been serious "inadequacies" in the government's response.

Many have tweeted calls for help, saying they themselves or their loved ones remain under rubble and have not received assistance since the earthquake hit.

"Neither a search and rescue team nor an 'official' came to our village in Pazarcik," one user said on Twitter, referring to the epicentre of the first earthquake.

Social media users highlighted the situation in Hatay province, on the border with Syria, saying it has been "neglected".

One video in paricular went viral. It shows a man, reportedly waiting for his father to be rescued from a collapsed building in Gaziantep, crying while asking an MP from the ruling party "why the state is so helpless".

The hashtag #HatayYardimBekliyor (Hatay is waiting for help) topped Twitter's trending topics on Tuesday, with many citizens saying neither they nor their relatives have received assistance since the earthquake hit.

David Brown
BBC News Visual Journalism Team

Pictures are coming in from Syria where collapsing buildings have killed more than 1,800 people and injured many more.

In the village of Besnaya-Bseineh, a large block of residential and commercial buildings has been reduced to rubble.

Image source, .

The north-west region of Syria is home to millions of refugees displaced by civil war since 2011.

Control of the area is divided between the Syrian government, Kurdish-led forces and other rebel groups, hugely complicating the distribution of aid.

The United Nations says damage to roads is also hindering the aid effort.

In Turkey, nearly 5,400 people are confirmed to have died and thousands of buildings have been destroyed.

Among the buildings damaged by the earthquake is Gaziantep Castle.

Image source, .

The castle was built during the Roman Empire and has stood for more than 2,000 years.

It was being used as a museum before the quake.

Image source, PA

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged the UK's "steadfast support" to Turkey in a phone call with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sunak had also expressed his "deep condolences for the tragic loss of life" caused by the earthquake.

The latest death toll from the quake in Turkey now stands at 5,400, while the figure over the border in Syria is 1,800.

"The prime minister confirmed that a 77-strong British search and rescue team arrived in Gaziantep today with specialist equipment and dogs, in response to a request from the Turkish government, and will immediately start work assisting with the rescue effort," the spokeswoman said.

"President Erdogan thanked the prime minister for the UK's solidarity in response to this tragedy and welcomed international search and rescue and medical support for the initial emergency response.

"The prime minister also noted the deeply concerning humanitarian situation over the border in north-west Syria, where Turkiye plays an important co-ordinating role, and set out how the UK has increased support to aid organisations and emergency responders."

Image source, Getty Images

Three British nationals are missing following the earthquake in Turkey in which more than 7,200 people have died, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said.

Cleverly told the House of Commons that the Foreign Office was supporting some 35 British nationals directly affected by the incident and said "the likelihood of large-scale British casualties remains low".

The UK government has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey to help in the race to find survivors.

The huge 7.8 magnitude quake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of Monday, when most people were asleep in their homes. Several hours later a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit close by.

Emergency workers are now scrabbling to save people trapped beneath rubble after thousands of buildings collapsed.

Read more here.

The death toll from the two huge earthquakes has risen to more than 7,200, official figures show.

Authorities say more than 5,400 people have died in Turkey while more than 1,800 have been killed by the quake in Syria.

Image source, The Times/PA

King Charles III has sent a message of condolence to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan offering his sympathies to those affected by the earthquake that killed thousands in Turkey and Syria.

In a statement, the King wrote: "My wife and I have been most shocked and profoundly saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in South East Türkiye.

"I can only begin to imagine the scale of suffering and loss as a result of these dreadful tragedies and I particularly wanted to convey our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to the families of all those who have lost their loved ones."

Image source, PA Media

A plane carrying a team of 77 UK search and rescue specialists, equipment and four search dogs has arrived in Gaziantep in south-east Turkey, the Foreign Office has said.

The search equipment will help locate survivors trapped in the rubble of the earthquakes as part of the joint international emergency response, the statement said.

An emergency medical team were also on the flight and will conduct a full assessment of the situation on the ground.

The team, made up of firefighters and staff from 14 fire and rescue services from across the country, will cut their way into buildings to locate survivors using seismic listening devices, concrete cutting and breaking equipment, and propping and shoring tools.

Drone footage shows billowing black smoke rising above the Turkish port city of Iskenderun after hundreds of shipping containers caught fire.

Iskenderun is one of two major container ports on the south-east coast of Turkey and maritime authorities say it sustained damage as a result of the earthquake.

If you're just joining us, here's a quick a recap of the latest developments in Turkey and Syria:

More than 6,300 people have died... across both countries following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent 7.5 tremor in south-eastern Turkey on Monday, near Syria's border

Emergency workers... are now desperately trying to save people trapped beneath rubble after thousands of buildings collapsed despite rain and snow hampering efforts

A three-month state of emergency... has been declared by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 10 provinces worst affected by the quake

Image source, EPA

The World Health Organization... has warned the toll may rise dramatically as rescuers find more victims and says 23 million people across Turkey and Syria could be affected by the disaster

People were heard calling for help... trying to get the attention of search and rescue teams who don't always have the right equipment to reach them

Countries around the world... are sending support to help the rescue efforts, including specialist teams, sniffer dogs and equipment, including Italy, the US, Israel and Taiwan

Stay with us as we bring you the latest on this developing story.

Image source, Getty Images

Shreen Mahmoud from UK-based Muslim charity SKT Welfare has told the BBC about hospital conditions in the parts of northern Syria affected by the quake: “It’s overwhelming," she said.

"They are running out of fuel and electricity, they need diesel to run the generators, they need painkillers, antibiotics, all the medication," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

She also warned that time was running out: "People are losing that window where they might still survive if they are stuck under the rubble."

The affected area of Syria is experiencing "widespread destruction and devastation", Mahmoud said, adding that people "on the ground right now are unfortunately pulling dead bodies from the rubble".

Even for those who survived the quake, the conditions are still terrible:

"I do encourage everyone to support fundraising efforts from all the major charities offering help out there.”

The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria is now more than 6,300 people killed in the disaster, official figures show.

The authorities say more than 4,500 people have died in Turkey, while more than 1,800 people are reported to have been killed by the quake in Syria.

Image source, Reuters

The number of people affected across Turkey and Syria following two huge earthquakes could be 23 million or higher, according to preliminary assessments by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr Margaret Harris tells BBC World Service's Newshour that "many, many hospitals just do not have what they need to function, simple things like power".

Commenting on fears the death toll could rise even further, she warns "until you've cleared all the damage, you don't know how many people have died".

Image source, Reuters

She adds: "Unfortunately, unless we get care to people as quickly as possible, you will get people who become very ill in the medium and long term as a result of what they experienced on that terrible night."

Beyond the immediate work of helping the physically injured, there will need to be a focus on supporting those who have lost relatives or seen their homes destroyed, Dr Harris says.

She continues: "They are so deeply traumatised that the effects on them could be very long term if they do not get very good psychosocial support."

Dr Harris says access to northern Syria for health workers, where territory is held variously by different warring factions, is the WHO's "number one need".

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned of "catastrophic humanitarian needs" in both Turkey and Syria.

It said electricity across the affected area remains intermittent. There have been some small improvements in Turkey but in northern Syria many areas are still off the grid, with mobile and internet outages making the response and coordination even more difficult.

Gas supplies are also severely affected, meaning that even if people can return home they will have to endure freezing temperatures.

“With the response in its infancy the need for humanitarian aid is stark. Roads and infrastructure, like bridges, have been damaged meaning it will likely prove challenging to get supplies to those who need it most," the IRC warned.

Vanessa Buschschluter
Latin America and Caribbean editor

Image source, Twitter/@m_ebrard

Mexico, a country which is prone to earthquakes, is sending a group of 16 of its search and rescue dogs to Turkey.

The dogs won the hearts of Mexicans when they combed through the rubble of the earthquake which hit Mexico City and nearby regions in 2017, killing hundreds of people.

The most famous of them, Frida, a Golden Labrador Retriever wearing protective goggles and booties who saved 12 people during her career, died of old age three months ago.

But some of the experienced dogs which worked alongside Frida in 2017 are part of the team, such as Ecko.

Image source, Mexican Navy

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted photos of the canines lying on the tarmac just before take-off.

Image source, Twitter/@m_ebrard

Mexico's deadliest earthquake happened in 1985, when at least 5,000 people were killed in the capital and its surroundings.

Quentin Sommerville
Reporting from Antakya, southern Turkey

The dead lie on the pavements in Antakya - a daughter and a father on one side of the street, half a dozen family members on the other. Under colourful blankets, they wait for collection. Hours pass by and still they remain, as ambulances and rescue workers stream past. In this devastated city, where the destruction is measured not by building, but by city blocks, the priority is those who can still be saved.

I join a group of men working on one building. Like apartment blocks here, it has been pancaked flat, its six floors concertinaing into a single pile of rubble. It’s hard to climb up, my feet slip on bathroom tiles that now make up the floor, exposed steel rebar the only grips to make it to the top.

They won't give their names, and say only that they were family members of the building’s residents and had come from Istanbul to search for their relatives. They're armed with pickaxes and crow bars, determination and hope.

“We heard a voice 10 minutes ago,” one man with a sledgehammer says. He sets to work, calling occasionally for passers-by and traffic to quieten in case voices could be heard. Soon they find two people trapped together, a man and a young girl. The men work with renewed energy and care to get to them, then ask official rescuers with power tools to come help.

But the tools are never used. “They’re already dead,” the official says, “we have to concentrate on the living.” Still the men keep digging until the bodies are retrieved.

There’s anger too that there isn’t more help. “They came and took pictures, but no rescuers returned,” says one woman. Eleven people were trapped in the building belonging to her boyfriend’s family - for hours, they could hear voices, but now only silence.

It will soon be 48 hours since the first earthquake hit and the chance of finding people alive slips away with each passing hour. But as the sun sets across Antakya, the sound of pickaxes and crowbars hitting concrete echoes across the city.

David Brown
BBC News Visual Journalism Team

Images coming in from the cities hit by Monday's earthquake show areas of complete devastation.The epicentre of the first quake at 04:18 local time (01:18 GMT) was near Gaziantep in Turkey.

Some apartment blocks in the city, which is home to more than two million people, have been totally flattened.

Image source, .

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in Gaziantep and nine other cities.

Among them is the Mediterranean port city of Iskenderun, in the southern province of Hatay, where buildings and docks have been reduced to rubble.

Image source, .

On Tuesday, the sky above Iskerendun was black with smoke after hundreds of shipping containers at the city's port facility caught fire.

It is thought that more than 1,200 buildings have been destroyed by the earthquake in Hatay province alone.Iskerendun is one of two major container ports on Turkey's south-east coast.

Lina Shaikhouni
BBC World Service

Image source, ISMAEL ALRIJ

We're hearing stories from Syrian people who were caught up in the earthquakes that hit neighbouring south-eastern Turkey on Monday.

Ismael Alrij had just left his six-year-old son, Mustafa, in the hospital when the ground started to violently shake. Watching the building in al-Dana, north-western Syria, start to fall apart, Ismael could only fear the worst.

"As the earthquake got stronger," Ismael tells me over a patchy WhatsApp connection, "the power went out and the entrance to the hospital, which was made from glass, started shattering.

"It was like a doomsday scenario," he says, adding he began to imagine having to rescue his son from the rubble.

But a minute later, Mustafa emerged, running towards him, screaming and crying. He had ripped out his own drip, and blood was oozing from his arm.

• Read their story in full here

As we've been reporting, rescuers are scrambling to save people trapped beneath the rubble after thousands of buildings collapsed in Monday's earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

This girl was pulled to safety by firefighters, from the ruins of a building in Hatay province in Turkey.

Earlier today, development minister Andrew Mitchell told Sky News that although Britain's aid budget is "under very considerable strain," resources will still be found as some of the budget is "always" carved out to cope with humanitarian crises.

"That is what people in Britain expect us to do. Britain is always there first and in strength to help when these appalling catastrophes take place. And we will be there this time," Mitchell said.

The UK government has sent a team of 76 search and rescue specialists to Turkey to help search for survivors.

Communities from across the south of England are rallying together to offer help to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in the 7.8 magnitude quake that hit both countries on Monday.

Donations and help are being sent by groups in Dorset and Berkshire while nine firefighters from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service have also been deployed to Turkey.

A collection is under way at Meyrick Park Cafe in Bournemouth. Residents have been asked to donate blankets, food, sanitary products and clothes for people of all ages.

All items will be collected by 3pm today before being transported to Turkey on a cargo flight.

Read more here.