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Key developments in the aftermath of the Turkey, Syria earthquake

Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team, left, and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies of people who died during the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Turkey's southeastern Kharamanmaras province struck in the early hours of Feb. 6, followed by multiple aftershocks, including a major one magnitude 7.5 nine hours after the first tremor. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team, left, and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies of people who died during the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Turkey's southeastern Kharamanmaras province struck in the early hours of Feb. 6, followed by multiple aftershocks, including a major one magnitude 7.5 nine hours after the first tremor. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

By The Associated Press February 19, 2023 4 min read

ISTANBUL (AP) — Search and rescue teams amazingly found more survivors in the ruins of the Feb. 6 earthquake that devastated swaths of Turkey and Syria even as the death toll from worst disaster in modern Turkish history increased.

Here’s a look at the key developments Saturday from the aftermath of the earthquake.

DEATH TOLL IN TURKEY PASSES 40,000

The president of Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency, Yunus Sezer, said the number of earthquake deaths in the country has grown to 40,642.

The new figure takes the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria to 44,330. The U.N. has said the full scope of the deaths in Syria may take time to determine.