Earthquake becomes deadliest in a decade as death toll passes 9,000

The death toll from the earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria has climbed past 9,400, making it the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.

Turkish authorities updated the country’s death toll to 6,957 on Wednesday.

In neighbouring Syria, the government has reported 1,250 deaths from Monday’s pre-dawn earthquake in the areas it controls.

The White Helmets, volunteer first aiders in a rebel-held enclave, have reported 1,280 deaths.

More than 30,000 people have been hurt and authorities expect the death toll to continue to climb as rescue workers race to pull survivors from the rubble in cities and towns across a wide area.

In 2011, a magnitude nine earthquake off the north-east coast of Japan triggered a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepalin 2015 killed more than 8,800 people.

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