Search effort underway following massive earthquake in Turkey, Syria | USA TODAY

U.S., Ukraine and Russia are among the countries sending aid and rescue efforts following deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.

RELATED: Turkey, Syria hit by deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake https://bit.ly/3YBhe8N

The death toll surged to more than 5,000 early Tuesday after a powerful, pre-dawn earthquake Monday and series of strong aftershocks collapsed thousands of buildings along the Turkish-Syrian border.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.8 quake struck at 4:17 a.m. local time in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, about 20 miles from the city of Gaziantep. Scores of aftershocks followed, authorities said. Hours later, a 7.5 magnitude quake struck more than 60 miles away.