Death toll n Turkey and Syria tops 7,900 as rescuers race against time

Smoke billows from Iskenderun Port as emergency workers continue rescue efforts in Iskenderun, Turkey, on February 7.

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday has risen to at least 7,926 people, according to officials.

The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the "White Helmets," said on Tuesday that the number of fatalities in rebel-held areas in northwest Syria rose to 1,220 and the number of injured people rose to 2,600.

Those figures are "expected to rise significantly due to the presence of hundreds of families under the rubble," the group added.

"Our teams continue search and rescue operations amid difficult circumstances," it said, describing a tally of more than 400 collapsed buildings, more than 1,300 partially collapsed buildings and thousands of others that were damaged by the early morning quake.

At least 812 deaths have been confirmed in government-controlled parts of Syria, state media SANA reported.

In Turkey, at least 5,894 people are dead and 34,810 injured, Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday, ts reports CNN.