As search and rescue efforts continued for a sixth straight day on Saturday to find more survivors, the number of people killed following the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 has reached at least 23,831, according to authorities.
In its latest update, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the overall death toll currently stood at 20,318, with 80,052 reported injuries, Anadolu News Agency reported.
The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centred in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across the provinces of Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
In Syria, the total number of those killed stands at 3,513, CNN reported.
According to volunteer organisation Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, 2,166 deaths were registered in rebel-held areas in the northwest of the country.
Meanwhile, the Syrian state media has said that 1,347 fatalities were reported in government-controlled parts of the war-torn nation.
The delivery of urgent supplies to quake-hit rebel-held areas in northern and northwestern Syria has been complicated by a long-running civil war between opposition groups and the Syrian government.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged that his government's response to the massive disaster was not as fast as desired, reports Xinhua news agency.
"Too many buildings were damaged, unfortunately. We were not able to speed up our interventions as quickly as we had desired," he told reporters in the quake-affected Adiyaman province.
The emergency work was "very difficult" as the devastating effect of the earthquake spread over an area of 500 km, he said, adding that the harsh winter has been another obstacle.
"Most of the public workers, who would have conducted the first intervention and organizations, were themselves under the collapsed buildings," the President added.
Erdogan had earlier admitted that the government had shortcomings in responding to disaster on the first day, but then had better managed the situation.
But now the country has gathered "perhaps the world's largest search and rescue teams" with more than 141,000 staff, including foreign emergency teams, he said.
The President has pledged to rebuild the quake-hit region within one year and provide one-year rental assistance for victims of the earthquake if they do not want to live in tents.
Erdogan's government has faced criticism from the quake victims that the emergency response was late and humanitarian aid was not sufficient in the earthquake zone of 10 provinces, which are home to nearly 13.5 million people.
The Turkish parliament on Thursday passed a state of emergency decision in 10 provinces impacted by the earthquake for three months upon the request of the President.
Meanwhile, over 81,000 people have been evacuated from the quake hit regions, according to AFAD.
Rescuers, relatives and local citizens burst into tears of joy after an eight-year-old boy was saved from the ruins of a building at Antakya, a district of Hatay province, 108 hours after the quake.
In the town of Iskenderun, a family of six was extracted from the rubble after 102 hours.
Raziye and Haci Murat Kilinc, two neighbours of the family, were rescued after 107 hours.
Many countries and global aid agencies have voiced support for the two countries, and some of them have sent rescue teams and relief supplies to quake-hit regions.
The devastating 7.8 tremor struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4.17 a.m. on February 6, which was followed by a 6.4-magnitude temblor a few minutes later in Gaziantep province.
The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake was 23 km east of Nurdagi in Gaziantep, at a depth of 24.1 km.
At around 1.30 p.m, a third 7.5-magnitude tremor hit Kahramanmaras.
Vigil strengthened to curb illegal infiltration, human trafficking from B’desh: CM Saha
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said that the state government has taken a series of steps to prevent illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, and the BSF as well as the state forces are on a strict vigil round-the-clock.
70 people convicted in 52 NDPS Act cases in Tripura: CM Saha
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said that the state police have registered 52 cases and 70 people were convicted in the last three years under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.
NFR achieved key milestones in infrastructure expansion in 2024-25: Officials
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), which operates in the northeastern states and in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar, successfully completed and commissioned 1,141.388 Route Kilometers (RKM) of electrification in 2024-25,
Govt targets to make Tripura self-reliant in fish production: Minister Sudhangshu Das
The state fishery minister Sudhangshu Das on Tuesday said that the government has targeted to make the state self-reliant in fish production and accordingly the government has taken multifaceted initiative to boost fish production in the state.
Tourism to bring alternative economy for Tripura: Sushanta in Assembly
The state tourism minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Tuesday said that the tourism sector in the state will be the backbone of the alternative economy in the coming days. Economic and social development of the local people will be achieved through this industry, he added.
Rs. 24.46 Cr provides as aid to flood-affected farmers: Ratan
In response to an unstarred question by MLA Sudeep Sarkar, Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath revealed comprehensive details about the arrangements made by the Farmers Welfare Department to assist flood-affected farmers in the state.
Infra development of Rs 1000 Crore for rural schools underway: CM
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today informed that for the development of educational infrastructure in rural areas, works amounting to approximately Rs 1000 crore are underway under various schemes.
5,520 drug users receive treatment, 612 recovers: Chief Minister
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today informed that as of January 2025, a total of 5,520 injection drug users have received services from Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers. Of these, 612 have completed treatment and returned to the mainstream of healthy, normal lives.