Quake death toll above 23,000 in Turkey, Syria

A woman mourns over the grave of her loved ones during a funeral in Kahramanmaras on Friday, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast earlier in the week. (Photo: AFP)

The death toll in Turkey and Syria from this week’s catastrophic earthquake surpassed 23,600 on Friday as relief organisations struggled to overcome an array of obstacles to deliver aid to survivors in both countries.

The second aid convoy in two days, loaded with medicine, food and clothes, reached an opposition enclave in northwestern Syria, as the leaders of Turkey and Syria visited shattered earthquake zones to meet survivors.