Footage shows the remnants of collapsed homes in Islahiye, Turkey, on Wednesday, February 8, morning following an earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people across the region.

The first magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck as people slept and caused tremors in Turkey and neighbouring countries, including Syria, Cyprus and Cairo in the early hours of February 6.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 24.1 kilometres some 23 kilometres east of Nurdagi in the Gaziantep province of Turkey near Syria's northern border at 1:17 UTC, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported preliminary data showing the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude, and was 67km (42 miles) northeast of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, at a depth of 2km.