Update | Death toll from quake that rocked Turkey and Syria climbs to over 2,500

The death toll from the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Monday, now stands at more than 2,500.

Thousands more were injured as the quake toppled thousands of buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble.

Authorities feared the death toll would keep climbing as rescuers searched through tangles of metal and concrete for survivors in a region beset by more than a decade of Syria's civil war and a refugee crisis.

Residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside in the rain and snow to escape falling debris, while those who were trapped cried for help.

Throughout the day, major aftershocks rattled the region, including a jolt nearly as strong as the initial quake.

After night fell, workers were still sawing away slabs and still pulling out bodies as desperate families waited for news on trapped loved ones.

Tens of thousands who were left homeless in Turkey and Syria faced a night in the cold.

In Turkey's Gaziantep, a provincial capital about 33 kilometres (20 miles) from the epicentre, people took refuge in shopping malls, stadiums and community centres. Mosques around the region were opened to provide shelter.

-AP

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