Turkey-Syria earthquake highlights: Toll over 19,300; surpasses Fukushima disaster deaths

Death toll in Turkey and Syria mounts to more than 19,300. The number of casualties have surpassed Japan's Fukushima disaster toll, reports Associated Press.

Syrian Embassy in India on Thursday appealed Indians to come forward and help in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that killed thousands, whereas several are still trapped under the debris. The embassy urged the people of India to contribute in the form of donation. Read more

Our political approach is not changing and contrary to (President) Bashar al-Assad, we are working in favour of the Syrian population: Francois Delmas, Foreign ministry's deputy spokesperson

We stand ready to further step up our support in close coordination with the Turkish authorities. Our thoughts will continue to be with you and your people: Presidents of 27 EU states in joint message to Turkish counterpart Erdogan 

There is damage to some roads on the Syrian side of the border. There has been some difficulty for our and international aid to get through because of the destruction. Because of this, we are working on the opening of two more posts: Mevlut Cavusoglu

As many as 17,176 people are confirmed dead due to Monday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria. 14,014 lives lost in Turkey, and 3,162 in Syria: Officials.

We were assured today that we would be able to get through the first assistance today through the Bab al-Hawa crossing: Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria

A makeshift morgue set up in the parking lot outside the main hospital in the Turkish city of Antakya in the province of Hatay, which has seen at least 3,356 fatalities due to the deadly earthquake. 

Twitter restored in earthquake-hit Turkey early Thursday after being blocked for nearly 12 hours; service back after Turkish officials held a meeting with Twitter executives.

Rescuers pulled more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings Thursday, but hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive more than three days after a catastrophic earthquake and series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria.

Emergency crews working through the night in the city of Antakya were able to pull a young girl, Hazal Guner, from the ruins of a building and also rescued her father, Soner Guner, two hours later, news agency IHA reported.

The first convoy of humanitarian assistance for northwest Syrians hit by the earthquake is en route to the southern Turkish border with the hope of crossing on Thursday, two aid sources told Reuters.

Semire Coban, a kindergarten teacher, in Turkey's Hatay province said, “My nephew, my sister-in-law and my sister-in-law's sister are in the ruins. They are trapped under the ruins and there is no sign of life”.

"We can't reach them. We are trying to talk to them, but they are not responding... We are waiting for help. It has been 48 hours now," she said.

Death toll rises to over 16,000 in Turkey, Syria quake, reports AFP citing officials.

Turkey’s stock exchange canceled trades made on Wednesday and said the market would be closed for five business days, reported Bloomberg.

Turkey is working to open two new border crossings to allow more aid into Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, reported Bloomberg

12,391 people had been confirmed killed in Turkiye after Monday's early morning earthquake and series of aftershocks. On the other side of the border in Syria, another 2,902 people have been reported to have been killed, reports AP. Read more

Rescue workers continued to pull living people from the damaged buildings but hope was starting to fade amid freezing temperatures more than three full days since the quake hit.

After 73 hours, a five-year-old girl and her parents were evacuated alive from the wreckage of an apartment building toppled by the earthquake in the southeastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Lai will each donate a month's salary for Turkish earthquake relief efforts, the presidential office said on Thursday, adding to existing aid already sent by the island.

Turkey has restored access to Twitter as the social-media platform agreed to do more to tackle disinformation in the aftermath of the quakes, Hurriyet newspaper reported. The country is also working to open two new border crossings to allow more aid into Syria, according to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"Even the buildings that haven't collapsed were severely damaged. There are now more people under the rubble than those above it," a resident named Hassan, who did not provide his full name, said in the rebel-held Syrian town of Jindayris.

The sixth plane from India carrying rescue personnel, essentials and medical equipment for earthquake relief efforts have reached Turkey, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.

The sixth flight carries more rescue teams, dog squads, and essential medicines for the quake- hit country.

City authorities have barred thousands of residents from going back to apartment blocks that are considered at risk from aftershocks shaking the region each day.

Search teams from around the world have joined local emergency personnel in Turkey and Syria to look for victims from this week's devastating earthquake that has killed thousands. Read more

The United Nations' regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria Crisis says access to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing along the Turkish-Syrian border continues to be impeded, preventing trucks carrying humanitarian aid from reaching people in Syria’s northwest.