Death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquakes crosses 9,600

New Delhi: The latest death toll from Monday’s catastrophic earthquake has crossed 9,600. 

Turkey death toll

The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye rose to 7,108, Turkish disaster management agency said Wednesday.

The number of injured from the massive quakes centered in Kahramanmaras province rose to 40,910.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, struck 10 provinces and affected more than 13 million people.

More than 96,670 search and rescue teams are currently conducting operations in the field, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said in a statement.

Syria death toll

AFP reported 2,547 deaths in Syria so far.

Syrian Ministry of Health reported that the number of earthquake victims in Lattakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib countryside has risen to 1,350 deaths and 2,054 injuries.

At least 1,197 people were killed in Syria's opposition-held northwest with the toll expected to "rise dramatically", the White Helmets rescue team said.

Rescue operations in Turkey and Syria

More than 70 countries have extended help to both Turkey and Syria including India.

India on Tuesday sent to Turkiye relief materials, a mobile hospital and specialised search and rescue teams in four C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft to support the country's rescue efforts following the massive earthquake that has killed over 5000 people in the region.

On Wednesday morning, India sent relief materials onboard a C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force to Syria which was also hit by the earthquake on Monday.

Also read: Here are five deadliest earthquakes in the history of Turkey

The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.

Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured Monday's quake at 7.8, with a depth of 18 kilometers (11 miles).

Hours later, another quake, likely triggered by the first, struck more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) away with 7.5 magnitude.

The second jolt caused a multi-story apartment building in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa to topple onto the street in a cloud of dust as bystanders screamed, according to video of the scene.

Thousands of buildings were reported collapsed in a wide area extending from Syria's cities of Aleppo and Hama to Turkey's Diyarbakir, more than 330 kilometers (200 miles) to the northeast.