LIVE UPDATE: Strong earthquake leaves hundreds dead in Turkey and Syria

Turkish emergency personnel and others try to help victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 6. (Refik Tekin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock) CNN

A strong magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Turkey early on Monday left more than 300 people dead and almost 2,000 others hurt in Turkey and Syria.

According to an official from the Ministry of Health, a strong earthquake that struck southern Turkey early on Monday left at least 237 people dead and 639 more injured.

More than 300 people have officially perished in Turkey and Syria, while close to 2,000 people have been injured.

According to the United States Geological Survey, a strong earthquake that rocked southern Turkey early Monday has been followed by at least 18 aftershocks with a magnitude of at least 4. (USGS).

The USGS reported seven earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5.

Only 11 minutes had passed when the strongest aftershock was detected, and it measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, according to USGS.

Strong aftershocks are predicted to linger for hours or even days following an earthquake as powerful as the one that struck Turkey on Monday morning, according to experts.

UPDATE: 

The confirmed death toll reached nearly 21,000 Thursday, surpassing the total from Japan’s Fukushima disaster in March 2011. That magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a tsunami, killing more than 18,400 people.

Feb 17, 2023 - Two more people were pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey on Friday, 11 days after an earthquake that has killed more than 43,000 in the country and Syria, as aid agencies step up efforts to help millions of people left homeless. Watch LIVE UPDATE (Refresh for updates)