The devastated parents of a Thai masseuse killed in the Turkey earthquake disaster today paid tribute to their 'beautiful daughter'.

Chamaiporn Homsantia, 28, was sleeping when she was crushed by the rubble of a collapsed buulding in Iskenderun in the early hours of Monday morning.

Her father Ken Homsanthia, 53, broke down in tears today as he and his wife Boonchu, 56, spoke of his 'beautiful daughter' who had travelled to a foreign country to make a better life for herself and her relatives. She worked at a popular Thai massage parlour in the city.

Ken said: 'When I was told there had been an earthquake in Turkey I thought about my daughter. I was worried. When I found out she had died, I was numb. I was in shock, but also so sad.'

The grieving father said that Chamaiphon asked for his permission to work in Turkey around four years ago. He did not allow her to go at first but changed his mind when a relative agreed to go with her.

She worked in a massage parlour catering to tourists and locals.

Chamaiporn's mother Boonchu added: 'My daughter had not come back to visit us due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We haven't seen her and will never see her again.

'She was just working there to make us proud. She wanted us to retire and not have to work. She would save money and look after us.

'She is too young to die. This shouldn't be happening. Now we just want to bring home her to see her one more time.'

The catastrophic magnitude 7.8 quake, measured at a depth of 24.1 kilometres, hit 23 kilometres east of Nurdagi in Gaziantep province at around 4 am on Monday February 6, 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 Thursday afternoon, the death toll in Turkey and Syria had reached 15,383, with World Health Organization officials warning that it could climb up to 20,000.

Rescuers are still racing to find trapped survivors even as 'extremely severe' weather conditions hamper their efforts.

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

Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay said authorities were also struggling with 'extremely severe weather conditions'.

TV correspondent Sinem Koseoglu said that 'everywhere there is snow or rain, and it's very cold'.