Syrian refugees flock to border to flee Turkey quake wreckage

Syrian refugees living in Turkey sought to get back to their war-torn country after swathes of their adopted home were destroyed by last week's earthquake.

Hundreds queued at the Cilvegozu border crossing in southeast Turkey following the quake, which has killed more than 41,000 people and displaced millions across both countries.

Nearly four million Syrians have settled in Turkey after fleeing a civil war that has devastated swathes of the country over the past 12 years, killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more.

The 11 Turkish provinces hit by the February 6 disaster are home to 1.74 million migrants, according to the United Nations.

Turkey this week allowed Syrians under its protection who hold ID cards from one of the quake-hit provinces to leave for between three and six months.

The rule change, which is designed to reunite families on both sides of the border hit by the disaster, means Syrians can now leave without first obtaining a travel permit, according to Omar Kadkoy, a Turkey-based Syria expert.

The rule change simplified travel and created long queues at the main border crossing leading to northwest Syria's rebel-held Idlib province.

Many of those queuing were travelling with their families and large amounts of luggage, waiting for security personnel to allow them forward for processing.