Senior officials in Libya extended their condolences over the loss of lives in the deadly earthquake that struck the southeastern region of Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday morning.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah took to his official Twitter account to condole the loss of lives in the disaster as he expressed solidarity with the people of Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon.

"My condolences to our brothers in Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon for the victims of the painful earthquake. May God have mercy on them all, heal the wounds of those injured and help the people, who are still under the rubble," PM Dbeibah wrote.

He affirmed Libya's full solidarity with the affected countries in this trying time. "Our prayers for the people in the affected areas to be safe and well."

Libya's top diplomat, Najla Al-Mangoush, also expressed grief over the loss of life in the affected regions and wished a speedy recovery for those injured.

"As soon as we heard the news, I phoned my brother, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, to express our full solidarity with the Turkish people in facing the catastrophe of the devastating earthquake," FM Al-Mangoush wrote.

Meanwhile, the Head of the High Council of State (HCS), Khaled Al-Mishri, expressed his deep sorrow for the tragic casualties and extensive damage caused by the earthquake in a statement by the HCS.

" The HSC stands in full solidarity with the brotherly countries that were bereaved by this painful incident," a readout by the HCS said on Monday.

A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria early on Monday left more than 1,300 people dead and thousands injured.

The quake was one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, according to the US Geological Survey.

It struck 23 km east of Nurdagi, in Turkey's Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers.

Multiple strong aftershocks have been felt across the region, including as far away as Lebanon and occupied Palestine.