The death toll from the major earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey reached 19,332  Thursday.

Officials and medics said that 16,170 people had died in Turkey and 3,162 in Syria.

Rescuers in both countries battled bitter cold in a race against time to find survivors under buildings flattened by the earthquake.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck Monday as people slept, flattening thousands of structures, trapping an unknown number of people and potentially impacting millions.

Whole rows of buildings collapsed, leaving some of the heaviest devastations.

The destruction led to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring Tuesday a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces.