Death Toll from Turkey Earthquake Rises to 5,000

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck southern Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday has passed 5,000, authorities said, as rescue operations continue.

Turkish Vice President Fuad Oktay said that the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Gaziantep province killed at least 3,419 people.

The death toll in Syria has risen to nearly 1,600, according to the country's health ministry and a volunteer organization involved in rescue operations.

International aid is arriving to assist the rescue effort, including rescue workers and disaster relief staff from Britain, Japan, and the European Union.

The UK has sent search and rescue personnel to Turkey, while Greece has provided transport planes, rescue vehicles, and rescue dogs, according to local media reports. India will provide medical teams.

The EU plans to send a rescue team consisting of personnel from seven countries, including Bulgaria and France, to Turkey.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that his country, which is at war with Russia, is ready to send a group of rescue workers to Turkey.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country's authorities to prepare immediate assistance for the crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to send rescue personnel to Syria after speaking on the phone with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Meanwhile, there is international concern about whether enough aid will be provided to Syria's civil war-torn northwest Idlib province, where opposition forces are based.