Shocking video shows people running away as an apartment building collapses in Turkey in the aftermath of a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake

• A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake unleashed devastation in southern Turkey.
• The quake and its aftershocks toppled buildings and sparked fires. More than 2,300 people are reportedly dead.

Shocking video showing bystanders in Turkey running for their lives as a building suddenly collapsed in the aftermath of a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked the country and Syria early Monday.

The dramatic footage from Urfa TV shows the residential building abruptly crumbling to the ground in Turkey's Şanlıurfa province, causing debris and plumes of smoke to fill the streets as people flee.

The earthquake, which was also felt in Lebanon and Israel, has killed more than 2,300 people, Turkish and Syrian officials said, and left thousands more injured, according to the Associated Press.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake was in southern Turkey, 20 miles away from the city of Gaziantep. The Governor of the Gaziantep province wrote on Twitter that the quake was "felt strongly" in the region.

The earthquake was followed by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock 11 minutes later and more than a dozen aftershocks have been recorded.

Videos and images from the area show rescuers trying to pull survivors from the rubble.

Roughly nine hours after the quake struck, a second 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit in southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria, according to USGS.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said at least 1,498 were killed and 8,533 others were injured in the areas of of Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Hatay, Kilis and Malatya.

More than 2,800 buildings were also destroyed, according to Turkey's disaster management agency.

"Because the debris removal efforts are continuing in many buildings in the earthquake zone, we do not know how high the number of dead and injured will rise," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to the Associated Press.

"Our hope is that we recover from this disaster with the least loss of life possible," Erdogan added. "I pray that God protects us and all humanity from such natural disasters."

In Syria, there were more than 800 reported dead.

In government-controlled areas of Syria, the death toll rose to over 460 people with about 1,300 wounded, according to the Health Ministry, the AP reported.

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported that at least 385 people died in opposition-controlled areas.

"Searches for survivors in the rubble are ongoing, however, the death toll is likely to rise over the next few hours and days as people are remain stuck under the rubble of more than 149 completely destroyed buildings and 327 partially destroyed buildings," the organization said.

The Turkish president said on Twitter that all "relevant units" were being dispatched to help people trapped under buildings.

"I convey my best wishes to all our citizens who were affected by the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and was felt in many parts of our country," Erdoğan wrote.

A tectonic summary from the USGS noted that "only three earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger have occurred within 250 km of the February 6 earthquake since 1970."

As a result of the quake, Italy's Department of Civil Protection also issued a tsunami alert warning citizens to move away from coastal areas.