Turkey-Syria earthquake updates: Death toll climbs to over 41,000

The Feb. 6 quake was centered in Turkey's southeastern Kahramanmaras province.

ByMelissa Gaffney, Morgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: February 15, 2023, 8:35 AM EST

More than 41,000 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Feb. 6, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.

The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey's southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll continued to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook central Turkey early Monday and was followed by a strong aftershock.
Associated Press Staff/AP

Latest headlines:

Here's how the new is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 13, 2023, 4:13 PM EST

Syria opens 2 more border crossings

Syria has opened two more border crossings from Turkey for the next three months to help with the influx of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

"Delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. "Opening these crossing points -- along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs -- will allow more aid to go in, faster."

Rescuers evacuate a 12-year-old Syrian girl from the rubble of a destroyed building in Hatay, Feb. 12, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's south-east.
Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images

Feb 13, 2023, 12:59 PM EST

Death toll climbs to over 37,000 in Turkey, Syria

Last week's massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 31,643 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.

Workers stand on top of a collapsed building as a digger works its way through the debris, Feb. 13, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey.
Burak Kara/Getty Images

Relatives react after identifying a body as a family member in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, Feb. 13, 2023, after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the border region of Turkey and Syria.
Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, at least 5,714 people were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

PHOTO: An infant rescued from the wreckage of the earthquake receives medical treatment while being transported to a hospital in Bab al-Hawa in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on Feb. 12, 2023.
An infant rescued from the wreckage of the earthquake receives medical treatment while being transported to a hospital run by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), near the border with Turkey in Bab al-Hawa in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on Feb. 12, 2023.
Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images

School books and certificates found by White Helmets member lay on the rubble, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in rebel-held town of Jandaris, Syria, Feb. 10, 2023.
White Helmets/via Reuters

-ABC News' Will Gretsky and Joe Simonetti

Feb 13, 2023, 9:33 AM EST

Little girl rescued after 178 hours in rubble

A little girl named Miray was rescued after 178 hours in the rubble in Turkey, Reuters reported, citing Turkey's transport minister.

A video grab shows a girl named Miray which Turkey's transport minister says was rescued 178 hours after the earthquake on Feb. 6, in Adiyaman, Turkey.
Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry via Reuters

People yelled "God is great" as Miray was placed onto a stretcher, Reuters reported.

The little girl's age and condition were not immediately clear.

Feb 13, 2023, 6:38 AM EST

More than 100 arrest warrants issued in Turkey over collapsed buildings

Turkish authorities have issued at least 113 arrest warrants as of Monday in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed in southeastern Turkey last week during the massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks.

The warrants are targeting contractors who are allegedly linked to the collapsed buildings.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti