12 days after the earthquake that struck Turkey, survivors were rescued from the rubble.
The death toll has surpassed 46,000 as a number of families hope for the return of a loved one to grieve.
ANTAKYA: While survivors are still being pulled from the wreckage in earthquake-stricken Turkey, many mourning families’ sole hope is the discovery of their loved ones’ remains so they can pay respects at the location of their final resting place.
“If you came across a dead body, would you pray? To convey the body to the family, we do: “As his machine clawed at the debris of a collapsed building in the town of Kahramanmaras, bulldozer operator Akin Bozkurt spoke.
“You find a body buried under a lot of debris. Families are hoping while they wait “said Bozkurt. “They desire a funeral service. They desire a tomb.”
Islamic tradition dictates that graves for the deceased should be filled as soon as feasible.
The search and rescue operations will mainly come to an end on Sunday night, according to Yunus Sezer, chairman of Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Following the Feb. 6 earthquake that had a 7.8 magnitude and hit Turkey and Syria, more than 46,000 people have died. With 345,000 residences in Turkey currently known to have been damaged and many more still unaccounted for, the death toll is anticipated to rise.
The number of individuals still missing following the earthquake has not been disclosed by either Turkey or Syria.
Workers from Kyrgyzstan attempted to rescue a Syrian family of five from the wreckage of a building in Antakya, southern Turkey, twelve days after the earthquake struck.
Three people—one of them a child—were found alive and unharmed. The infant ultimately died of dehydration, according to the rescue team, but the mother and father both survived. A twin and an elder sister did not survive.
“Earlier today, when we were digging, we heard screams. We are always pleased to discover living people “Reuters was informed by Atay Osmanov, a member of the rescue crew.
A adjacent roadway that had been closed to traffic to facilitate the rescue operation had ten ambulances waiting there.
As the teams climbed to the top of the ruins of the structure where the family was found to listen for any further sounds using an electronic detector, workers asked for full silence and for everyone to crouch or sit.
Take a deep breath if you can hear my voice, one rescuer said amid the debris as the operation went on.
Health officials are worried about the potential spread of infection due to the damaged sanitation infrastructure.
According to the World Health Organization, over 26 million people in Turkey and Syria require humanitarian assistance.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the United States will travel to Turkey to explore how Washington can continue to support Ankara as it deals with the fallout from the largest natural disaster to strike the country in modern times.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that authorities in the northwest of the country were preventing access to the area in Syria, which has reported more than 5,800 fatalities.
“It is causing a slowdown in our workflow. That needs to be rectified immediately “David Beasley, the director of the WFP, told Reuters outside the Munich Security Conference.
The northwest of Syria, where militants and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are at war, is where the majority of casualties occur.
“We are out of time, and we are out of money. If Europe doesn’t want to welcome a fresh flood of refugees, we must have the necessary financing, as our operation costs roughly $50 million per month for just our seismic response “Added Beasley.
Hundreds of Syrians who had fled the civil war in Turkey have, for the time being at least, returned to their homes in the conflict area.
