Temperatures in Turkey dipped below five degrees early Thursday as thousands of people spent the night in makeshift shelters and cars in the wake of this week's devastating earthquakes.
The Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) said the death toll had risen to 12,391 by Thursday morning, according to the Cumhuriyet news site.
The number of wounded rose to 62,914.
Rescue and relief workers continued combing through the rubble as people were too afraid to go home.
Authorities in the Turkish city of Gaziantep asked thousands of residents to stay away from their homes for fear of aftershocks.
"When we sit down, it's painful, and I'm afraid for anyone trapped under rubble in this," said Melik Haleçi, who wrapped her two-year-old daughter in a blanket as they watched rescue workers work late at night. It was quoted by Agence France-Presse.
"Eventually we'll have to go to the tent, but I don't want to," she added. "I can't stand the cold, but I can't think of going back to our apartment."
Suleiman Yanik, another resident, sat with a child playing with the steering wheel of his car, his wife, and another sleeping child in the back seat.
He was quoted as saying, "I don't have a choice."
"The smell is horrible, but we can't go home," he said, referring to dozens of fires lit to keep warm.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning, followed by strong aftershocks.