Women and children rescued from Turkey earthquake debris nine days after disaster
Three women and two children have been found alive, and pulled from the debris, nine days on from the devastating earthquake disaster.
Forty-two-year-old Melike Imamoglu and 74-year-old Cemile Kekec were pulled from the rubble by rescuers in the Turkish town of Kahramanmaras.
The rescue comes as workers move towards a clean-up operation following the collapse of thousands of buildings across Turkey and Syria. Most rescue operations will start winding down now as attention is turned to providing shelter, food and water to the survivors.
Millions are living in makeshift camps and are in desperate need of aid.
Video of the rescue posted to social media by the Mayor of Darica, Muzaffer Biyik, showed workers applauding and embracing one another as Ms Kekec was loaded into the ambulance.
In the city of Antakya, another Turkish city badly affected, local media reports that a mother and her two children were pulled alive from the rubble.
Turkey earthquake disaster – death toll grows
It’s now been ten days since the earthquakes struck Turkey, causing thousands of buildings to collapse in both Turkey and Syria.
The death toll is now more than 41,000.
Foreign rescue workers, who arrived in Turkey soon after the quakes, are beginning to pack up and leave, whilst locals shift their attention to cleaning up the debris.
The Turkish government has encouraged people to return to their homes if possible after officials declared they are safe.
Those who lost their homes are living in makeshift camps.
In Syria, two extra aid corridors for the UN have been opened, but delivering aid has been slow due to the civil war. The UN said logistical issues were to blame for not providing aid to Syria in the first few days.
Rescuers say the UN has not provided any heavy machinery required to remove the rubble, but the extra aid corridors will allow them to get aid in quicker.
