Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll surpasses 25,000

The death toll from the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this week surpassed 25,000 on Saturday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that 21,848 people had died in Turkey, while 3,503 had been killed in Syria between both rebel- and government-held territory, according to The Washington Post.

The Syrian Civil Defense Group, also known as the White Helmets, reported 2,116 deaths in rebel-held northwest Syria, while state media confirmed 1,387 deaths in government-controlled areas of the war-torn country, per the Post.

The White Helmets said on Saturday that search and rescue operations have ended in Syria’s northwest region, with no survivors found alive since Thursday. The group now turns toward search and recovery efforts.

As rescue efforts wind down, several impressive survival stories have emerged from the tragedy. A father and daughter in Gaziantep, Turkey, were pulled from the rubble after 132 hours, about five and a half days, of rescue operations, according to CNN.

A 70-year-old woman in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, was also rescued on Saturday after 121 hours of search efforts, and a 16-year-old boy was found alive in the same city after 119 hours, CNN reported.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.