Over 18,340 killed in powerful earthquakes that hit southern Turkey

Monday's twin quakes, centered in Kahramanmaras, impact more than 13M people across 10 provinces

At least 18,342 people were killed and 74,242 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Turkey on Monday, the country's disaster agency said on Friday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Turkey in the space of fewer than 10 hours.

More than 121,128 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).