The 7.8-magnitude quake struck as people slept early Monday. (File)
The death count from a massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria climbed to more than 20,000 on Thursday, as hopes faded of finding survivors stuck under rubble in freezing weather.
Officials and medics said 17,134 people had died in Turkey and 3,162 in Syria from Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 20,296.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)