Over 15,000 dead in Türkiye-Syria earthquakes

The death toll from the Türkiye-Syria earthquakes has risen to more than 15,000.

At least 12,391 people have died in Türkiye, according to officials, while at least 2,992 have been killed in Syria.

Temperatures in the quake-stricken Türkiye city of Gaziantep plunged to minus five degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) early on Thursday (9) but thousands of families spent the night in cars and makeshift tents, too afraid to return to their homes – or banned from doing so.

Gyms, mosques, schools and some stores have opened up at night. But beds are still at a premium and thousands spend the nights in cars with engines running to provide heat.

The Turkish president has admitted to problems with his government’s initial response to the devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye, amid anger from those left destitute and frustrated over the slow arrival of rescue teams.

More than 6,000 buildings collapsed due to the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes that occurred in the space of less than 10 hours in Türkiye.

Türkiye has taken action with all its institutions and resources since the deadly earthquakes in its southern provinces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.