Turkey-Syria earthquakes: Death toll passes 24,000

Search and rescue teams worked through the night, pulling more bodies from the rubble following Monday's devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

The death toll in Turkey has risen to 20,665, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Saturday.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll in government and opposition-held areas stands at 3,553.

There have been 1,891 aftershocks since the first quake early on Monday, AFAD said.

The number of rescues are falling, although some survivors were still being found.

The focus has shifted to helping the survivors, with many in desperate need of aid.

Calls for aid intensify

At least 870,000 people urgently needed food in the two countries after the quake, which may have left up to 5.3 million people homeless in Syria alone, the United Nations warned.

The World Food Programme appealed for $77 million to provide food rations to at least 590,000 newly displaced people in Turkey and 284,000 in Syria.

Temperatures remained below freezing across region, and many people had no shelter.

In Turkey, the government has distributed millions of hot meals, tents, and blankets but still struggled to reach many of those in need.

In Syria, the disaster compounded suffering in a region beset by the 12-year civil war.

The WFP has delivered food aid to 115,000 people in Turkey and Syria in the first four days since the earthquake struck, and the World Health Organization delivered 72 metric tons of trauma and emergency surgery supplies.

DW bears witness

DW's Teri Schultz is in Turkey, covering the earthquake's impact on the people there.

She has witnessed heartbreak and hope over the last few days. 

You can read her account of the humanitarian catastrophe here.