Earthquake in Turkey and Syria has left more than 17,000 dead and 65,000 injured

• The powerful earthquake in Turkey continues to claim lives.
• Rescue teams are still searching for survivors in the rubble.
• The whole world has been shocked after the tragedy.

After the powerful earthquake shook Turkey and Syria, the news is not improving. The number of lives lost and the amount of damage is increasing. So far there are more than 17,000 dead and 65,000 injured.

According to the Associated Press, rescuers pulled more survivors from the ruins of fallen buildings on Thursday, but hopes of finding people alive were fading more than three days after the catastrophic earthquake and its aftershocks rocked Turkey and Syria.

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria has left more than 17,000 dead and 65,000 injured

Crews working through the night in the city of Antakya were able to pull a girl, Hazal Guner, out of the rubble of a building and her father, Soner Guner, also alive, two hours later, the news agency IHA reported.

As they prepared to put the man in an ambulance, the rescuers told him that his daughter was alive and that they would take him to the same field hospital. “I love you all,” he said, whispering weakly to the team, according to the AP.

First responders continue to work to find people

In Diyarbakir, east of Antakya, rescuers freed an injured woman from a collapsed building in the early hours of the morning, but found the three people next to her dead in the wreckage, the DHA agency reported.

El País reports that Turkish authorities have reported that at least 14,000 people have died. Meanwhile in Syria there are around 3,100 dead. However, it is estimated that the numbers will continue to rise, as reports indicate a large number of people are still buried in the rubble.

There are still many people under the rubble

Tens of thousands of people are believed to have lost their homes. In Antakya, residents of a now-ruined building gathered around a bonfire overnight, wrapped in blankets to try and stay warm.

Serap Arslan said there were still many people under the rubble of the nearby building, including his mother and brother. Machinery did not start moving some of the heavy concrete until Wednesday. “We have tried to remove the rubble on our own, but unfortunately our efforts have been insufficient,” she added.

Experts point out that the survival rate is declining

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the disaster-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Kilis on Thursday amid criticism of the slow government response. Experts said the survival window for those trapped under the rubble, or unable to meet their basic needs, was rapidly running out. But, at the same time, they pointed out that it was too early to give up hope.

«The first 72 hours are considered critical,» said Steven Godby, a natural disaster expert at Nottingham Trent University in England. “The median survival rate within the first 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22%, and on the fifth day it is 6%.”

More than twenty countries have come together to support Turkey and Syria

According to the Turkish disaster management agency, more than 110,000 personnel are now involved in the rescue efforts and more than 5,500 vehicles have been mobilized, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators. But the task ahead is monumental, with thousands of buildings toppled by the quake.

Teams of rescuers of more than twenty countries have joined the local forces, but the magnitude of the destruction caused by the devastating earthquake and its powerful aftershocks was so vast and widespread that many were still waiting for help.