Heartbreaking Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll leap sees more than 15,000 dead
More than 15,000 people have now been confirmed dead following the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Rescuers have been seen clawing through rubble with their bare hands in the past few days amid sub-zero temperatures and snow storms in the region.
Officials say 12,391 people have died in Turkey, with a figure of 2,992 reported in Syria.
The powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, razing buildings to the ground and trapping thousands beneath the rubble. .
Rescue and recovery efforts have been hampered by a number of aftershocks and tremors, which some experts have warned may last weeks or even months.
Blackpool hit by earthquake that sounded like rattling train as furniture shakes
More than 12,000 people have now died in the Turkey-Syria earthquake (Getty Images)Another earthquake with the magnitude of 7.5 hit Turkey’s south just hours after the first, with a third following later in the week.
Thousands of specialists from across Europe, Albania, Montenegro, Jordan and China have since offered their services to boost the 24,400 search and rescue teams already deployed by Turkey.
War-ravaged Ukraine also pledged an 87-strong team to help out, while Qatar offered 10,000 container shelters for people left homeless.
They were being transferred to the worst-hit provinces of Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Adiyaman across Turkey.
Around 380,000 survivors are sheltering in government dormitories or hotels in Turkey.
Experts said the survival window for those trapped in rubble was now closing (Getty Images)Experts said on Wednesday that the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was now closing rapidly - but said it was too soon to abandon hope.
Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England said: "The first 72 hours are considered to be critical"
"The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced on Wednesday to admit some "shortcomings" in the response to the earthquake after heavy criticism from the public - but claimed it is "not possible to be prepared for such a disaster".
Internet-monitoring group NetBlocks said that Twitter had been blocked on several networks across the country, with the filtering having been applied on major internet providers.
Over 3,400 people killed as massive 7.8 magnitude quake rocks Syria and Turkey
Over in Syria, painful footage showed a miracle baby taking its first breath surrounded by destruction after her mother went into labour during the quake.
Little is known about the newborn baby and its now-deceased family, aside from reports they had already been displaced by Syria’s brutal war from Deir Ezzor to Afrin, some seven hours away.
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