Iran Press/ Asia: The death toll from Monday's earthquake in Türkiye has risen to 2,921, the country's Anadolu agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
At least 15,834 people were injured in the earthquakes, the report said.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Türkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT), followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in the Kahramanmaras Province, Xinhua reported.
The earthquake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, was the biggest recorded worldwide by the U.S. Geological Survey since a tremor in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021.
The screams of people still trapped in the rubble filled the night early on Tuesday and relatives wept for their loved ones as the death toll in Türkiye and in neighbouring northwest Syria rose to more than 4,300.
Freezing winter weather hampered search efforts for survivors through the night into Tuesday.
Under a pile of rubble in the southern province of Hatay, a woman's voice could be heard calling for help. Nearby, the body of a small child lay lifeless.
Temperatures fell close to freezing overnight, worsening conditions for people trapped under rubble or left homeless.
In Kahramanmaras, north of Hatay, entire families gathered around fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to stay warm.
The population of the ten provinces in southern Türkiye affected by the earthquakes are home to 13.5 million people.
So far, according to the Andalou agency, more than 5,600 buildings have collapsed.
There are many, many more who have not yet been found, with the WHO predicting the death toll could reach 20,000 in the coming days.
Survivors are being evacuated by military plane to areas where hospitals have greater capacity.
AFAD is urging people to stay off the roads to help search and rescue efforts following the earthquake.
At least 300,000 blankets, 24,712 beds, and 19,722 tents have been sent to affected earthquake areas, AFAD said.
AFAD said in order to provide "psycho-social" support services to affected individuals, 765 personnel workers and 50 vehicles were dispatched to affected earthquake areas.
In neighboring Syria, at least 1,451 people have died. According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, 711 people have died across government-controlled areas, mostly in the regions of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus.
The “White Helmets” group, officially known as the Syria Civil Defense, reported 740 deaths in opposition-controlled areas. Much of northwestern Syria, which borders Türkiye, is controlled by anti-government forces amid a bloody civil war that began in 2011.
224
Read More:
2,300 dead so far while rescue efforts ongoing in night
Deaths toll of quake in Türkiye - Syria near to 2,000
Türkiye announces 7 days of public mourning following deadly earthquake
