Maltese rescuers on site of collapsed hotel in Turkish city of Malatya as quake death toll rises

A team of Maltese rescuers is in the Turkish city of Malatya to help in efforts to locate and extricate victims trapped beneath the rubble of a hotel that collapsed after Monday's earthquakes.

The Maltese Civil Protection Department said its team of 32 people and one rescue dog are involved in the search for 120 people who are missing but in contact. At least eight of the victims are buried under the debris of the hotel in the city that is located north of the epicentre of Monday's quakes.

The Maltese team is part of a wider international effort to aid Turkey, which asked for assistance in search and rescue operations that have been made more difficult by rain and snow.

The Maltese CPD contingent includes a rescue dog (Photo: CPD)

Across southern Turkey and northern Syria a massive rescue operation is underway as the death toll from the earthquakes has now risen above 5,000. The earthquakes caused widespread devastation and left more than 15,000 injured and homeless.

Victims have resorted to sending voice notes from beneath the rubble to inform relatives and journalists of their live locations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday has announced a three-month state of emergency across 10 provinces.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Gaziantep, in the southeast of Turkey, in the early hours of Monday morning while people were still asleep.

A second tremor of magnitude 7.5 hit at around 1:30pm local time. Officials said this was not an aftershock and was independent from the first quake.

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