Death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquake surpasses 16,000

Rescue workers continued to pull living people from the damaged homes but hope was starting to fade amid freezing temperatures more than three full days since the quake hit.

(Khalil Hamra/AP)

The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria rose to more than 16,000 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of collapsed homes in the stricken zone, Turkey’s disaster management agency said.

The agency said 12,391 people had been confirmed killed in Turkey after Monday’s early morning earthquake and series of aftershocks, which brought down thousands of buildings in south-eastern Turkey.