Earthquake death toll tops 24,000 in Türkiye and Syria

Thousands of buildings have collapsed in Türkiye and Syria in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years.

The death toll in Türkiye rose to 20,665, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said. More than 80,000 people were injured.

In Syria, the toll was at least 3,513, including 2,166 deaths in opposition-held areas and 1,347 deaths in government-controlled parts of Syria, according to the government and a rescue service in the opposition-held northwest.

Syrian White Helmets, a rescue service in the opposition-held territory known for pulling people from the ruins of buildings destroyed by air strikes, called on the international community to take action to rescue people buried under rubble.

“NW Syria in a state of catastrophe after 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Destruction, devastation, and collapse of buildings. Hundreds of injuries, dozens of deaths, many trapped under the rubble or stranded in the winter cold. We call on the international community to take action,” the group said in a statement on Twitter.

The World Health Organization warned that those numbers are likely to increase as much as eight times, as rescue teams find more victims in the rubble.

On Monday, a catastrophic and deadly earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and western Syria.

The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, including an unusually powerful magnitude of 7.5 nine hours after the main quake.

Search and rescue teams are working against time to recover survivors from the rubble despite harsh winter conditions.

A large winter storm hampered rescue efforts, dropping snow on the ruins and bringing plummeting temperatures.

Due to the freezing temperatures in the areas, survivors, especially the ones that are trapped under the wreckage, have a great risk of hypothermia. (ILKHA)