The death toll from a series of earthquakes that have rocked Turkey and neighboring Syria over the past week has exceeded 33,000.

A magnitude 7.8 quake hit southern Turkey in the early hours of last Monday, followed by more tremors. Turkey has counted 29,605 deaths while Syria tallied at least 3,581 fatalities.

Search-and-rescue efforts are underway in quake-stricken areas as many people are believed to be still trapped under collapsed buildings.

Rescue squads from Japan and other countries have been scouring debris for survivors in Kahramanmaras, one of the hardest-hit cities in southern Turkey.

A girl was pulled alive from under a flattened seven-story apartment building in the city on Sunday. An emergency worker described the rescue as a miracle.

Many of the city's residents left homeless by the quakes in the biting winter cold lined up for hot meals on the same day.

Volunteers say they had prepared food for 10,000 people but that it was all gone after only four hours or so.

A displaced man said he felt he was not alone and that he was grateful for the assistance.

xinhua