Earthquake death toll in Türkiye and Syria climbs past 4,400

Overwhelmed rescuers struggled to save people trapped under the rubble as the death toll from a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria rose past 4,400 on Tuesday, with despair mounting and the scale of the disaster hampering relief efforts, Reuters reports.

In the Turkish city of Antakya near the Syrian border, where 10-story buildings crumbled onto the streets, Reuters journalists saw rescue work conducted on one out of dozens of rubble mounds.

The temperature was nearly freezing as the rain came down and there was no electricity or fuel in the city.

The magnitude 7.8 quake hit Turkey and neighboring Syria early on Monday, toppling thousands of buildings including many apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands of people injured or homeless.

In Turkey, the death toll climbed to 2,921 people, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said.

The death toll in Syria, already devastated by more than 11 years of war, stands at more than 1,500, according to the Syrian government and rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest.