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

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

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.


0

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.

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.


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


Death toll surpasses 33,000 in Turkey, Syria

More than 33,000 people are dead in Turkey and Syria as a result of last week's earthquake and aftershocks, officials said.

At least 29,605 people had died in Turkey, officials announced Sunday. More than 3,500 have died in Syria, local officials said late Sunday.

Another 80,000 people have been injured, officials said.

-ABC News' Edward Szekeres


Death toll rises to over 25,000 in Turkey, Syria

Monday's massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed more than 25,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

"In addition to the already collapsed buildings, the other ones whose number can be expressed in hundreds of thousands have also become uninhabitable due to their damages. So far, the total loss of life in the earthquake area has reached 21,043 and the number of injured rose to 80,097," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.

121 citizens were pulled alive from the rubble over the past 24 hours, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.

In Syria, the death toll has risen to over 3,500.

-ABC News' Edward Szekeres


American search and rescue teams to start work Wednesday

Stephen Allen, USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team leader for the agency’s earthquake response, said his top priority is getting two American urban search and rescue teams to the region.

"Every hour does count in the first few days,” he said.

The responders are en route to Turkey, where they are expected to land at Incirlik Air Base in Adana Wednesday morning local time, Allen said. They’ll immediately start the long journey to Adıyaman, a city in southeastern Turkey that’s been heavily impacted by the quake, but has not had access to many search and rescue teams, Allen said.

The Americans are bringing about 170,000 pounds of specialized tools and equipment, including hydraulic concrete breaking gear, saws, torches, drills and advanced medical supplies to treat and triage the wounded, he said. They will also have about a dozen dogs who Allen said will play a “very key” role in looking for survivors strapped in the rubble.

Sending search and rescue teams to a disaster site so far away is “not something that we would normally do, frankly,” he said, however Turkey officials asked for assistance because its own considerable national search and rescue capabilities are outmatched by the “size and scale” of the devastation.

“I do need to emphasize the level of devastation, the level of damage, and the expected result in loss of life is massive. It’s massive,” he said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford