Death toll rises above 15,000 in Turkiye, Syria quake

ANKARA/DAMASCUS - The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquake in Turkiye and Syria has risen to 15,383, according to data released by authorities and rescuers.

The number of people killed in Turkiye due to the devastating earthquake has reached 12,391, the country's Anadolu agency reported on Thursday, citing the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

In Syria, at least 1,262 were killed and 2,285 injured in government-held areas, said the Syrian Health Ministry. Media reports also cited rescue workers as saying that at least 1,730 were killed and over 2,850 injured in the opposition-held region in Syria.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 am local time (0117 GMT), followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 pm local time (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras Province.

On Wednesday, an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) after flying over 8,000 km on a chartered Air China plane.