One week after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria and its strong aftershocks, the deaths of more than 36,000 people have been confirmed. Yet among the rubble Incredible stories of survival continue to emerge.
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As reported by CNN, in southern Turkey, rescuers say they can still hear voices under the ruins, offering a ray of hope to find more survivors.
An example of this was recorded in the Kahramanmaras region, where live footage broadcast by CNN affiliate CNN Turk shows rescuers working to try to save three sisters believed to be buried under rubble.
In the same region, rescuers pulled an 18-year-old boy and another man alive from the rubble on Tuesday, a day after they saved a 10-year-old girl who was believed to have been buried for around 185 hours.
However, last Monday, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said during a visit to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, that the rescue phase was “coming to an end”.
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Griffiths added that another phase of attention to the tragedy should be entered. “Now (comes) the humanitarian stage, the urgency of providing shelter, psychosocial care, food, schooling and a sense of the future to these people, that is our obligation now.”
For their part, the ‘White Helmets’, officially known as the Syrian Civil Defense, after announcing the end of their search and rescue operation last week, declared last Monday a seven-day mourning period in rebel-held areas in the north of the country.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said more than 9,200 foreign personnel are taking part in the country’s search and rescue operations, while 100 countries have offered help so far.
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