STORY: After two severe earthquakes on the Turkish-Syrian border, the number of dead rose to over 2,000 by Monday evening. Reports of collapsed houses came in from both states after the first 7.9 magnitude tremor that night. A second 7.7 magnitude tremor followed in the early afternoon, causing more buildings to collapse. Destroyed roads and interrupted internet connections made it difficult to get an overview of the full extent of the disaster even hours later. It is feared that the number of victims will continue to rise. Survivors initially dug for victims with their bare hands. Again and again the helpers asked for silence to listen for signs of life under the rubble. The epicenter of the first quake was near the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep. The tremors lasted a minute and were felt as far away as Israel, Cyprus and Lebanon. The quake was the most powerful to hit Turkey since 1999, when a 7.6 magnitude tremor killed more than 17,000 people. Dozens of countries, including Germany, and aid organizations have pledged support. Russian President Vladimir Putin also offered support to Syria and NATO member Turkey.