Live: Earthquake death toll in Turkey and Syria rises to more than 4,800 Rescuers in Turkey and Syria dug with their bare hands through the freezing night Tuesday hunting for survivors among the rubble of thousands of buildings felled in a series of violent earthquakes on Monday. The death toll across the two countries has climbed above 4,800 after a swarm of strong tremors occurred near the Turkey-Syria border – the largest of which measured a massive 7.8 in magnitude.