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Turkish officials have detained 130 people allegedly involved in illegal construction methods as rescuers on Sunday looked to extricate more survivors of last week’s devastating earthquakes now estimated to have claimed more than 33,000 lives.
AP reports the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude and 7.5 magnitude quakes that hit south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria nine hours apart on Feb. 6 rose to 33,179 on Sunday.
Officials and medics said the total is made up of 29,605 people who died in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria from Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake.
Tens of thousands of people have also been left homeless.
A further 80,000 people are thought to be injured and seeking medical treatment.
Government officials and rescue agencies agree the death toll and injured numbers are certain to keep increasing as search teams work through the vast expanses of rubble.
