Rescue dogs have joined the search for survivors in collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey and nearby regions on Monday.

Footage shows a trained pooch slipping under rubble to scour areas inaccessible to responders in Gaziantep city on February 7.

The catastrophic magnitude 7.8 quake, measured at a depth of 24.1 kilometres, hit 23 kilometres east of Nurdagi in the same province at around 4 am on Monday, the United States Geological Survey said.

Several aftershocks, including quakes of magnitudes 6.7 and 7.5, struck the same region hours after.

As of Wednesday morning, at least 8,364 have been confirmed dead. At least 5,894 have died in Turkey, while at least 2,470 casualties were in neighbouring Syria.

World Health Organization officials warned that the death toll could climb up to 20,000.

Turkey's disaster management office confirmed that 5,775 buildings had collapsed as rescue teams raced to find survivors.

The tragic earthquake is said to be among the strongest to hit Turkey in the last century.