Death toll from deadly Turkey-Syria earthquakes crosses 16000, likely to rise higher

The death toll from devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week is now at least 16,035. At least 12,873 people have died in Turkey, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) on Thursday. In contrast, in Syria, the total number of fatalities is at least 3,162, including 1,900 in rebel-held areas in the northwest, according to the “White Helmets” civil defense group. CNN reported citing the official Syrian media, 1,262 people have been killed in the nation’s areas under the control of the government.The casualty count is likely to rise as rescue operations are underway in both countries. Turkey on Tuesday announced a three-month state of emergency in the quake-hit regions, as per the Anadolu Agency report. Turkey is observing seven days of mourning after the devastating quakes. As per the news report, over 13 million people have been affected by earthquakes.