Death toll exceeds 23,000 in Turkey, Syria

More than 23,000 people have now died after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria early Monday, according to officials. The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble