The death toll from a powerful earthquake in southeastern Türkiye and Syria earlier this week has reportedly climbed above 20-thousand, surpassing the toll of 18-thousand-500 from Japan's massive earthquake in 2011.

According to AFP and other foreign media, Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said on Thursday that more than 17-thousand people died and over 70-thousand others were injured following Monday's strong quake and aftershocks.

Syrian authorities and first responders known as the White Helmet said that three-thousand-162 people died in Syria from the devastating tremor.

Accordingly, the combined death toll in the two nations has surpassed 20-thousand.

The toll is feared to rise further as experts presume that up to 200-thousand people remain trapped in the debris of collapsed buildings in Türkiye alone.

The World Health Organization earlier warned that the overall toll  may rise above 20-thousand, while the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that there is a 14-percent chance the toll may surpass 100-thousand.