Rescuers find survivors 5 days after quake

ANTAKYA, Turkey (AP) — Rescuers on Saturday released five members of the same family who survived for five days in the ruins of their home in Turkey after a powerful earthquake shook the Syrian border region. The death toll in the tragedy, however, was nearly 25,000.

A mother and daughter, Havva and Fatmagul Aslan, were the first to emerge from the mountain of rubble in the town of Nurdag in Gaziantep province, one of the hardest hit by the disaster, according to HaberTurk.

The teams then joined the father, Hasan Aslan, who insisted that they first rescue his other daughter, Zeynep, and son, Saltik Bugra, the station said.

Hasan was saved last. The rescuers cheered and shouted “God is great!” while the man was transferred to an ambulance.

The dramatic operation, 129 hours after the earthquake, brought the number of rescued to nine on Saturday, despite the fact that hopes of finding people alive are dwindling. Among the survivors were a disoriented 16-year-old boy and a 70-year-old woman.

“What day is it today?” Kamil Can Agas, the young man rescued in Kahramanmaras, asked rescuers, according to NTV television.

Members of the Turkish and Kyrgyz teams hugged each other, as did the boy’s cousins, and one of them shouted, “He’s out, brother. Is out. It is here”.

Los rescates ofrecieron destellos de alegría en medio de la devastación días después de que el terremoto de magnitud 7.8 registrado el lunes derribase miles de edificios, matara a más de 24,000 people en los dos pays, dejara otros 80,000 heridos ya millions de people sin foyer. An earthquake of almost the same magnitude, which was probably triggered by the first, caused more destruction a few hours later.

In the Turkish city of Antakya, rescuers transferred Ergin Guzeloglan, 36, to an ambulance after pulling him out of a destroyed building.

But not every story had a happy ending: early Saturday, workers reached a 13-year-old girl trapped in Hatay province and intubated her. But the young woman died before doctors could amputate a limb and free her from the rubble, reports the daily Hurriyet.

Although experts say those trapped can live a week or more, the chances of finding survivors are diminishing. Rescuers began using thermal imaging cameras to detect signs of life in the rubble, an indication of the weakness of those trapped.

Temperatures remain below freezing across the region, with many people homeless. The Turkish government has distributed millions of hot meals, as well as tents and blankets, but continues to struggle to reach many in need.

The disaster has deepened suffering in a region plagued by Syria’s 12-year civil war, which has displaced millions internally and made them dependent on aid. The fighting has forced millions of people to seek refuge in Turkey.

The conflict has isolated many parts of Syria and complicated efforts to bring aid there. According to the UN, the first convoy of aid linked to the earthquake passed from Turkey to northwestern Syria on Friday.

The UN refugee agency estimates that up to 5.3 million people have been left homeless in Syria. Sivanka Dhanapala, UNHCR’s representative in Syria, told reporters on Friday that the agency was focusing on providing tents, plastic sheeting, thermal blankets, mats and winter clothing.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife, Asmaa, on Saturday visited the injured at a hospital in the coastal city of Latakia, where the president enjoys strong support.

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Shaheen reported from Latakia, Syria, and Fraser from Ankara. Associated Press reporters Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon, and Ghaith Alsayed in Bab al-Hawa, Syria, contributed to this report.