Live Updates: Rescuers battle bitter cold and time as Turkey and Syria cause nearly 8,000 earthquake deaths

The death toll from two massive earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks has risen to nearly 8,000 in Turkey and Syria, officials said, as rescuers continue to comb the debris for survivors in freezing temperatures.

Turkey’s vice president Fuat Oktay told reporters Wednesday morning that 5,894 people were killed and 34,810 injured. At least 812 people were killed and 1,449 injured in government-controlled parts of Syria, according to state media. In rebel-held northwestern Syria, civil defense officials reported more than 1,220 dead and more than 2,600 injured. said they expected them to rise “significantly”, as hundreds remain buried under the rubble.