The United Nations launched an appeal for $397 million on Tuesday to help earthquake victims in Syria, where the disaster has killed thousands of people and left millions more in desperate need of aid.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, announcing the appeal at the UN headquarters in New York, said the funds would bring "life-saving relief" for nearly five million Syrians and would cover a period of three months.

He added that the world body was in the final stages of a similar appeal for Turkey.

"One week after the devastating earthquakes, millions of people across the region are struggling for survival, homeless and in freezing temperatures. We are doing all we can to change this. But much more is needed," Guterres pleaded.

He called on member states to "fully fund this effort without delay and help the millions of children, women and men whose lives have been upended by this generational disaster."

On Monday, Feb. 6, a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey.