Istanbul, 12 February 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The death toll reported from earthquakes in Turkey and Syria surpassed an overall 28,000 on Sunday, as hopes of finding further survivors in the rubble faded by the hour.

In Turkey the death toll has climbed to 24,617, state news agency Anadolu reported in the early hours, citing Vice President Fuat Oktay. Turkish disaster authority AFAD meanwhile said a further 80,278 people were injured.

In neighbouring Syria, at least 3,574 people are known to have died and 5,276 injured.

The first quake hit early on Monday morning with a 7.7-magnitude. This was followed at about midday by another quake with a 7.6-magnitude. Between Monday and Saturday the area experienced more than 2,000 aftershocks, according to AFAD.

Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum said that almost 172,000 buildings in ten provinces had now been inspected following the quake. Around 25,000 were found to be severely damaged or in urgent need of demolition.

There is now a growing danger of disease due to contaminated drinking water, a German expert and relief worker warned.

"In regions where people have no access to clean drinking water, there is a risk of epidemics at some point," said Thomas Geiner, a doctor with earthquake experience who is part of a rescue team from Germany's NAVIS aid organization.

The many bodies trapped under rubble could contaminate the water supply, he warned. In many places, people also have no access to toilets of any kind, meaning germs could enter the groundwater.

Meanwhile, survivors continued to be found under the rubble.

A 7-month-old baby was rescued from the rubble in south-eastern Turkey's Hatay province after 140 hours, state broadcaster TRT reported early on Sunday. The rescue team had become aware of the child when they heard him crying.

A 35-year-old man was rescued in the same province after being trapped under the rubble for 149 hours, according to the broadcaster.

Anadolu reported that a pregnant woman and her brother were pulled from the remains of a collapsed building after 140 hours.

In the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, a 26-year-old man was rescued from the rubble of an eleven-storey building.

Many people have lost their homes, with more than 1,5 million seeking refuge in tents, hotels or public emergency shelters, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

School holidays have been prolonged and universities are switching to distance learning for this semester, in part to open up space for homeless victims to move into student dormitories.

Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu criticised the measure on Saturday, however, arguing on Twitter that young people had suffered enough during the Covid-19 pandemic.