Many people are still missing and could still be alive under the rubble (Picture: Getty Images)
The death toll from the Turkey-Syria earthquake has surpassed 45,000 as anger grows over corrupt building practices.
It has become the worst modern disaster for both countries with the number of deaths still expected to increase.
Almost two weeks after the earthquake, three people were pulled from the rubble on Friday alive.
But despite these positive stories, attention turns towards the flawed urban development which resulted in so many deaths.
‘It was said to be earthquake-safe, but you can see the result,’ said Hamza Alpaslan, 47, whose brother had lived in an apartment block.
‘It’s in horrible condition. There is neither cement nor proper iron in it. It’s a real hell.’
Turkey has pledged to investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings and ordered the detention of 100 suspects.
But neither Turkey or Syria confirmed how many people are still missing following the quake.
Two men and a child rescued by search and rescue teams from under the rubble of a collapsed building 296 hours after the earthquake (Picture: Getty Images)
An aerial view of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey (Picture: Getty Images)
An aerial view of tent city set up in Hatay, Turkey (Picture: Getty Images)
Domestic rescue teams are still busy searching through flattened buildings in the hope of finding more survivors.
One of those rescued was Hakan Yasinoglu, in his 40s, 278 hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck.
Other survivors include Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, who were saved in Antakya, Turkey.
‘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,’ Mustafa said.
Mustafa was later reunited with his wife Bilge and daughter Almile at a hospital in Mersin.
In Syria, the bulk of deaths have been in the north west of the country, an area controlled by insurgents who are at war with President Bashar al-Assad.
People sit on the rubble of their former home to protect their belongings after a powerful earthquake in Samandag, Turkey (Picture: EPA)
An aerial view of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey (Picture: Getty Images)
Government forces have been shelling the outskirts of Atareb, a rebel-held town badly hit by the earthquake.
This conflict has complicated efforts to get aid to people impacted in this part.
Thousands who sought refuge in Turkey to escape Syria’s civil war have moved back to their war-torn country at least temporarily.
The death toll in Turkey stands at 39,672, while Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths. Syria’s toll has not changed for days.
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Attention turns towards the flawed urban development which resulted in so many deaths.Â
