The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose above 11,200 as rescuers scrambled to rescue survivors trapped in winter debris on Wednesday.
Officials and medics said 8,574 people died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria from Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake, bringing the total to 11,236.
Nearly 50,000 people were also injured in Turkey and another 5,000 in Syria, officials and rescuers on both sides said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave an update on the casualty figures during a visit to Kahramanmaras, the southern Turkish city at the epicenter of the initial quake.
Television images showed him hugging a weeping elderly woman and walking through a crowd to a Red Crescent humanitarian aid tent.
Facing a tough May 14 re-election, Erdogan has pledged to rebuild the devastated region within a year.
He also appeared to push back against criticism that the government’s response to Turkey’s worst disaster in decades has been slow.
“At first there were problems at the airport and on the road, but today it is easier and tomorrow will be easier,” he said in televised comments.
“We have applied all our resources,” he said. “The state is doing its job.”
© Agence France-Presse