Defence CS Aden Duale has sent a message of condolences to  Turkey following a massive earthquake on Monday morning.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, leaving thousands dead and more injured.

"I join the rest of the world in expressing my concerns and extending my deepest condolences to the affected people and families, and the government of Turkey," Duale said.

As of 1:36 pm, as reported by the BBC, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said at least 912 people had died in the country, while the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, estimated the number to be 320 in Syria.

This brought the total estimated death toll for the quake to around 1,232 and it is likely to rise.

Further, President Erdogan said at least 5,383 people had been wounded in Turkey.

Shortly after the earthquake, Turkey declared a state of emergency and urged its people not to use mobile phones to allow rescuers to coordinate.

It was felt by millions of people across Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel with the epicentre being near the Turkish city of Gaziantep.

Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said 10 cities in Turkey have been affected by the quake including Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis.