Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll exceeded 25,000

The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria recently has risen to over 25,000 as of last Saturday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reported that 21,848 fatalities occurred in Turkey, while 3,503 were recorded in Syria across both government- and rebel-held territories.

According to The Washington Post, the Syrian Civil Defense Group documented 2,116 deaths in the rebel-held northwest, and state media confirmed 1,387 casualties in government-controlled areas. The search and rescue operations by the White Helmets have now ended in northwest Syria with no more survivors being found. The group is now shifting its focus to recovery efforts.

Despite the tragedy, there have been several remarkable stories of survival that have emerged from the aftermath of the earthquake. CNN reported that a father and daughter in Gaziantep, Turkey, were rescued from the rubble after 132 hours, which is approximately five and a half days, of rescue operations. In Kahramanmaras, Turkey, a 70-year-old woman was saved after 121 hours of search efforts, and a 16-year-old boy was also discovered alive in the same city after 119 hours.