More than 22,000 people are now known to have died after Monday’s earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria.

Officials say UN lorries carrying aid have crossed the border from Turkey into Syria today, the second convoy this week.

But aid workers in northern Syria are desperate for more help, with one doctor saying there’s not enough medical supplies for even 20% of those in need.

The situation on the ground in northern Syria has been described as “absolutely catastrophic” by Syria’s civil defence group, the White Helmets.

Meanwhile rescuers in Turkey and Syria are continuing their painstaking work, but hopes are fading for the many still trapped under the rubble.

Death toll in Turkey and Syria approaches 23,000
The death toll in Turkey following Monday’s earthquake has risen to 19,388, according to the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The number of reported deaths in neighbouring Syria stands at 3,377, meaning the combined number of fatalities has reached almost 23,000.

Erdogan added that more than 77,700 people had been injured in Turkey and said the government would provide rent support for survivors of the quakes.

Earlier, he said the government’s response to the earthquake has not been as fast as he had hoped.

Credit: The BBC