Death toll from earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria surpasses 7,200

Survivors cried out for help from within mountains of debris as first responders contended with rain and snow.

The death toll surged past 4,000 as rescuers in Turkey and Syria worked overnight to find more survivors of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the region early on Monday (Mustafa Karali/AP)

Search teams and emergency aid from around the world poured into Turkey and Syria on Tuesday as rescuers working in freezing temperatures dug – sometimes with their bare hands – through the remains of buildings flattened by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. 

The death toll soared above 7,200 and was still expected to rise.