Ankara, Turkey (AA): Large number of people have been rescued from rubbles alive in Turkey and Syria hit by earthquake. More people continue to be rescued five days after the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes hit the two countries.

The death toll in Turkey has risen to 18,342, and in Syria 3,377 have died bringing the total number of people killed to 21,719, a staggering number in just five days, and the figures are expected to grow.

The earthquake centered in Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

More than 121,128 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

A total of 75,780 people were evacuated from quake-hit regions, AFAD said in a statement, adding that 6,810 personnel from foreign countries were dispatched to the disaster zone.

Besides rescue teams, blankets, tents, food and psychological support teams, along with 12,241 vehicles including excavators, tractors and bulldozers were also sent to affected areas.

A total of 97,973 family tents have been set up to shelter the survivors, the authority said.

Babies and children rescued from debris

Rescue teams pulled alive two sisters from the rubble Friday, five days after powerful earthquakes hit southern Turkey.

Ayfer, 15, was rescued in Kahramanmaras province after being trapped for 99 hours. Her 13-year-old sister Fatma was also saved two hours later, and both were given medical attention.

Earlier, two little girls were pulled to safety after being trapped under the rubble. Mina, aged 5, was pulled out alive from a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras province by rescuers after spending 89 hours under the debris.

“I am very happy. I’ve never felt this happy before. I am very happy to rescue her,” Murat Kaya, who is taking part in the search and rescue operation, told Anadolu.

Meanwhile, another miracle happened in Hatay province 88 hours after the first devastating first earthquake hit the country when two-year-old Fatma Halifi was rescued from a destroyed building.

A 6-month-old baby was pulled alive from earthquake rubble of a building after 82 hours in southeastern Turkey as rescuers continue to work to save many lives from collapsed buildings.

The governor of northern Ordu province, Tuncay Sonel, said on Twitter that Yigit Calis, who was rescued from under the debris in the southeastern Adiyaman province, was taken to medical teams.

Rescue teams pulled a 1-year-old baby and her mother alive from the rubble Thursday, more than three days after powerful earthquakes hit southern Turkey,

Rahaf and her mother Ela Hamoko, 30, of Syrian origin, were rescued in Kahramanmaras province after being trapped for 81 hours.

Two children and two teenage girls were rescued from the debris on Thursday after devastating quakes hit southern Turkey.

Two-year-old Mert Tatar was rescued 79 hours after an earthquake hit the southern Hatay province.

Tatar was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

Meanwhile, 3-year-old girl Eya Haddap was pulled from the debris Thursday 70 hours after the earthquake hit Hatay’s central Antakya district.

She was transferred to a nearby hospital.

The teams had rescued three other members of the same family during the search and rescue operations carried out on Wednesday.

Also, two sisters, who were under the rubble in the Golbasi district of Adiyaman province, were rescued from the debris after 70 hours.

Ceren, 14, and Elif, 16, were transferred to the nearest hospital in the city.

A Syrian baby who was found under the earthquake rubble still tied to her dead mother’s umbilical cord has been named Aya.

Aya who was born under extraordinary circumstances in the town of Jindires, northwestern Syria, will grow up an orphan.

She came into this world in the wee hours of Monday morning, when the first earthquake struck, while her mother was still trapped under the debris.

The baby was rescued from the debris after five hours of search and rescue work by the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) teams in the town.

There were injuries on various parts of her body.

The staff at Ceyhan hospital named her Aya and confirmed she is in good health.

The baby also lost three siblings in the earthquake.

Compiled by The Muslim News from AA news agency

[Photo:  10 day old baby, Yagiz Ulas, rescued from rubble 90 hours after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit multiple provinces of Turkey including Hatay, Turkey on February 09, 2023. Photojournalist :Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality/AA]