The death toll has now surpassed 5,000 as rescue efforts continue.

Three members of the Qatari Red Crescent (QRCS) died while on the field in Syria and Turkey, where two destructive earthquakes killed thousands, the Qatari organisation confirmed on Tuesday.

“QRCS has lost three of its employees in northern Syria and southern Turkey who were working in the field, and a number of its employees lost their families as a result of the devastating earthquake. We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return,” QRCS said in a statement shared on Twitter.

QRCS identified Mustafa Al Dagheem, field officer of the mobile clinic in Andalus camp in northern Syria, as one of the staff members that died while on duty. Al Dagheem passed away with his wife and children.

Nisreen Al Hussein who served as a psychosocial supporter in Salqin clinic, and Duaa Yasser Ramadan, a pharmacist in the QRCS unit, also died in Syria.

The Qatari organisation also offered its condolences to the wife and six children of its employee, Ali Al Shawakh, a sanitation coordinator working in northern Syria.

Wajdi Zedo, field coordinator of the medical sector in northern Syria, lost his father, wife, and son.

Two deadly earthquakes rocked Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Monday, killing more than 5,000 people and displacing tens of thousands.

The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck early in the morning with the epicenter close to the Turkish city of Gaziantep. Hours later, this was followed by a second quake with a magnitude of 7.5 in southeast Turkey.

Tremors were also felt in Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq, and elsewhere in the region.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay confirmed on Tuesday that the death toll rose to 3,419 whereas more than 1,600 were killed in Syria. In total, more than 5,000 fatalities have been reported within just more than 24 hours.

Thousands of buildings have collapsed in both Syria and Turkey, with authorities in Ankara confirming at least 5,500 were destroyed.

Countries from around the world have dispatched rescue and medical personnel to Turkey and Syria to respond to thousands impacted by the natural disaster.

On Monday night, Qatar allocated 10,000 mobile homes to Turkey and Syria, as tens of thousands have been left without shelter due to the destruction caused by the quakes.

“Within the framework of the continuous Qatari efforts to contribute to relieving the quake-affected people in Syria and Turkey, the State of Qatar has allocated 10,000 mobile homes that will be transferred to the affected areas,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said.

Earlier, the first flights of an air bridge set up by Qatar were launched per the directives of Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Accompanied by a team from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force, Lekhwiya, the air bridge is equipped with field hospitals, relief aid, tents among other essential rescue tools.

In a tweet responding to the tragedy, the Turkish president declared a week of national mourning.

“A national mourning period has been declared for seven days,” the president tweeted. 

“Our flag will be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023, in all our national and foreign representative offices,” he added.