NATIONAL NEWS - President Cyril Ramaphosa has joined world leaders in conveying condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish people following the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
At least 4,300 people have been confirmed dead across the two countries after a swarm of strong tremors struck near the Turkey-Syria border, the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8-magnitude.
Rescue efforts
Rescue efforts continued at a furious pace in Turkey and Syria as rescuers reportedly dug with their bare hands through a freezing Tuesday night hunting for survivors among the rubble of thousands of buildings felled in the violent earthquake.
The initial magnitude 7.8 tremor early on Monday brought down buildings as people slept and was followed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hours later amid several aftershocks.
Freezing temperatures and snow have hampered rescue efforts, and more bad weather is expected to hit the region.
Erdogan has declared seven days of national mourning, and Syria has appealed to the United Nations for help following the devastating earthquakes.
