Istanbul, 12 February 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The United Nations' top humanitarian relief official said he expects the death toll from earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border region to reach more than 50,000 people.

Official reports currently place the number of dead at more than 28,000 people. In Turkey alone, the death toll was 24,617. Another 3,574 deaths were last reported from Syria.

"I'm sure it'll double or more, and that's terrifying," Griffiths told Sky News on Sunday while visiting the devastated city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey.

He praised rescue efforts and the "heartening" international humanitarian response but said the scale of the disaster in the region was "deeply, deeply, deeply shocking."

Griffiths has worked on relief efforts for many conflicts, including the brutal ongoing civil war in Syria, but said that losing tens of thousands of people in a single night is something not seen in those wars.