Quake death toll surpasses 15,000 in Türkiye, Syria

Rescuers search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in quake-hit Besni District of Adiyaman Province, Türkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA/DAMASCUS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria has risen to 15,383, according to data released by authorities and rescuers.

The number of people killed in Türkiye due to the devastating earthquake has reached 12,391, the country's Anadolu agency reported on Thursday, citing the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble of a destroyed building in the Rihawi area in Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Str/Xinhua)

In Syria, at least 1,262 were killed and 2,285 injured in government-held areas, said the Syrian Health Ministry. Media reports also cited rescue workers as saying that at least 1,730 were killed and over 2,850 injured in the opposition-held region in Syria.

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 Kahramanmaras Province.

On Wednesday, an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport in Türkiye at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) after flying over 8,000 km on a chartered Air China plane.