Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Toll climbs to 9,500; freezing weather hampers rescue operations

Tuesday saw an increase in calls to reverse US sanctions on Syria as the death toll from the devastating earthquakes on Monday rose to 7,900 in Turkey and Syria, according to official media estimates.

According to the media office at the Aleppo governorate headquarters and Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, the number of injured increased to 31,777 in Turkey and 1,449 in Syria.

The BBC said that while rescue efforts are impeded by severe weather, the death toll in both countries is anticipated to increase.

Powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time on Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time in Kahramanmaras.

Turkey's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest loss of lives, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor, the BBC reported.

State of emergency declared in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in 10 of the country's provinces hit by the quakes.

The decision was taken in order to ensure that search and rescue activities and subsequent studies can be carried out quickly, he said at a press conference.

Cold making the rescue operations difficult

Two days after an earthquake tore through southern Turkey and war-torn northern Syria, rescuers fought against the clock early on Wednesday to retrieve people from the rubble before they perished from the cold. The number of fatalities exceeded 8,000, and more deaths were anticipated.