ANKARA: Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors in southern Turkey and northern Syria after two huge earthquakes on Monday.

More than 7,800 people have been killed, but there are warnings the death toll could continue to surge, BBC reported.

According to the report, as search efforts continue into a second freezing-cold night, time is running out for rescuers to find survivors under the rubble.

Relatives of victims who lived in collapsed buildings have joined frantic rescue efforts in one of the worst-hit Turkish cities, using pickaxes and crowbars, it said.

The first 7.8 magnitude quake struck near Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday, followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor hours later.

(Inputs from BBC)