More than 45,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria, and the toll is expected to soar with some 264,000 apartments in Türkiye destroyed and many still missing in the country's worst modern disaster.
Eleven days after the quake hit, three survivors were dug out from the rubble in Türkiye on Friday. The death toll there stands at 39,672, while neighbouring Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths. Syria's toll has not changed for days.
Mosques around the world on Friday performed absentee funeral prayers for the dead in the two countries, many of whom could not receive full burial rites given the enormity of the disaster.
While many international rescue teams have left the vast quake zone, domestic teams continued to search through flattened buildings on Saturday hoping to find more survivors who defied the odds. Experts say most rescues occur in the 24 hours after an earthquake.
Hakan Yasinoglu, in his 40s, was rescued in the southern province of Hatay, 278 hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the dead of night on February 6, the Istanbul fire brigade said.
Earlier, Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, were saved in Türkiye's historic city of Antakya, known in ancient times as Antioch. As Avci was carried away, he was put on a video call with his parents, who showed him his newborn baby.
“I had completely lost all hope. This is a true miracle. They gave me my son back. I saw the wreckage and I thought nobody could be saved alive from there,” his father said.
An exhausted Avci was later reunited with his wife Bilge and daughter Almile at a hospital in Mersin.
Aid organisations say the survivors will need help for months to come with so much crucial infrastructure destroyed.
In neighbouring Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest, an area controlled by insurgents who are at war with President Bashar al-Assad — a conflict that has complicated efforts to aid people affected by the earthquake.
The sides clashed overnight for the first time since the disaster, with government forces shelling the outskirts of Atareb, a rebel-held town badly hit by the earthquake, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Thousands of Syrians who had sought refuge in Türkiye from their country's civil war have returned to their homes in the war zone — at least for now.
Neither Türkiye nor Syria have said how many people are still missing after the quake.
For families still waiting to retrieve relatives in Türkiye, there is growing anger over what they see as corrupt building practices and deeply flawed urban development that resulted in thousands of homes and businesses disintegrating.
One such building was the Ronesans Rezidans (Renaissance Residence), which keeled over in Antakya, killing hundreds.
“It was said to be earthquake-safe, but you can see the result,” said Hamza Alpaslan, 47, whose brother had lived in the apartment block. “It's in horrible condition. There is neither cement nor proper iron in it. It's a real hell.”
Turkey has promised to investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings and has ordered the detention of more than 100 suspects, including developers.
The UN on Thursday appealed for more than $1bn (about R18bn) in funds for the Turkish relief operation, and has launched a $400m (about R7.2bn) appeal for Syrians.
Reuters
Earthquake death toll passes 45,000
Image: Supplied
More than 45,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria, and the toll is expected to soar with some 264,000 apartments in Türkiye destroyed and many still missing in the country's worst modern disaster.
Eleven days after the quake hit, three survivors were dug out from the rubble in Türkiye on Friday. The death toll there stands at 39,672, while neighbouring Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths. Syria's toll has not changed for days.
Mosques around the world on Friday performed absentee funeral prayers for the dead in the two countries, many of whom could not receive full burial rites given the enormity of the disaster.
While many international rescue teams have left the vast quake zone, domestic teams continued to search through flattened buildings on Saturday hoping to find more survivors who defied the odds. Experts say most rescues occur in the 24 hours after an earthquake.
Hakan Yasinoglu, in his 40s, was rescued in the southern province of Hatay, 278 hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the dead of night on February 6, the Istanbul fire brigade said.
Earlier, Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, were saved in Türkiye's historic city of Antakya, known in ancient times as Antioch. As Avci was carried away, he was put on a video call with his parents, who showed him his newborn baby.
“I had completely lost all hope. This is a true miracle. They gave me my son back. I saw the wreckage and I thought nobody could be saved alive from there,” his father said.
An exhausted Avci was later reunited with his wife Bilge and daughter Almile at a hospital in Mersin.
Aid organisations say the survivors will need help for months to come with so much crucial infrastructure destroyed.
In neighbouring Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest, an area controlled by insurgents who are at war with President Bashar al-Assad — a conflict that has complicated efforts to aid people affected by the earthquake.
The sides clashed overnight for the first time since the disaster, with government forces shelling the outskirts of Atareb, a rebel-held town badly hit by the earthquake, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Thousands of Syrians who had sought refuge in Türkiye from their country's civil war have returned to their homes in the war zone — at least for now.
Neither Türkiye nor Syria have said how many people are still missing after the quake.
For families still waiting to retrieve relatives in Türkiye, there is growing anger over what they see as corrupt building practices and deeply flawed urban development that resulted in thousands of homes and businesses disintegrating.
One such building was the Ronesans Rezidans (Renaissance Residence), which keeled over in Antakya, killing hundreds.
“It was said to be earthquake-safe, but you can see the result,” said Hamza Alpaslan, 47, whose brother had lived in the apartment block. “It's in horrible condition. There is neither cement nor proper iron in it. It's a real hell.”
Turkey has promised to investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings and has ordered the detention of more than 100 suspects, including developers.
The UN on Thursday appealed for more than $1bn (about R18bn) in funds for the Turkish relief operation, and has launched a $400m (about R7.2bn) appeal for Syrians.
Reuters
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WATCH | Elderly woman rescued alive from rubble eight days after quake in Turkey, K9 team leader speaks to us
EXPLAINER | How Syria's war has hindered earthquake relief
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