Istanbul: As rescuers continue to work on the ground to pull more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, the death toll in earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria has crossed 25,000.
The earthquake that razed thousands of buildings in both countries has become one of the deadliest quakes worldwide in more than a decade.
On Friday, Turkish authorities said that at least 18,991 people were killed and 74,242 injured in the country by Monday’s quakes.
In Syria, rescue workers told Washington Post that more than 2,037 people died and 2,950 were injured. In government-controlled Syria, state media reported 1,347 deaths and 2,295 people injured.
Earlier, the World Health Organisation warned that the death toll in both countries may surpass 20,000. However, the numbers are much higher by now as the count surpasses 25,000.
The report said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the quakes as one of the country’s biggest disasters as he traveled to regions in the south.
He visited the devastated city of Adiyaman. More than 100,000 people— including soldiers, police officers, firefighters and aid workers— have been called into action in Turkey.
As per visuals shown by satellite Maxar Technologies, extensive damage to infrastructure in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria can be seen.
