Turkey and Syria earthquake updates: death toll passes 4,300 with numbers expected to rise

Difficult conditions and freezing temperatures hampered rescue efforts overnight in Turkey and Syria, one day after a powerful earthquake struck the region, killing at least 4,300 people.

As the scale of the devastation from the 7.8 magnitude tremor continued to unfold, the World Health Organization warned the number of casualties could exceed 20,000.

International rescue missions rushed to both countries and worked through the night to find survivors on Tuesday.

Almost 13,000 rescue workers leave Istanbul for affected areas - local media

As of 6 am, early 13,000 rescue workers, many of them volunteers, had left Istanbul in the last 12 hours, according to the news organisation Sabah, which cites the governor of Istanbul.

Many are bound for Hatay, where, according to reports, there is growing anger at the lack of assistance for people trapped under the rubble.

Source: The Guardian