Türkiye-Syria quakes: Survivors still being pulled out as rescue enters 7th day

Rescuers pulled at least nine survivors from earthquake rubble on Sunday, Turkish state media Anadolu reported six days after one of the worst natural disasters to hit parts of Syria and Türkiye, as the death toll exceeded 29,000 and looked set to rise further.

Facing questions over his handling of Türkiye's most devastating earthquake since 1939, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to start rebuilding within weeks, saying hundreds of thousands of buildings were wrecked.

Tens of thousands of rescue workers continued to scour flattened neighborhoods in freezing weather that has deepened the misery of millions now in desperate need of aid.

Security concerns led some aid operations to be suspended, and dozens of people have been arrested for looting or trying to defraud victims in the aftermath of the quake, according to the state media.

UN relief chief Martin Griffiths arrived in southern Türkiye on Saturday to assess the quake's damage, telling Sky News he expected the death toll to "double or more" as the chances of finding survivors fade with each passing day.

In Syria, hopes of finding survivors have dimmed further. In the coastal town of Jableh, a search dog circles the quake-hit area for 30 minutes and trots back without a single bark. The unsettled silence blanketing the area indicates there are no more survivors to find.

This scene plays out almost daily in Jableh, where the hopes of finding anyone alive under the rubble are quickly vanishing amid a lack of resources.

Of the 52 residents of the five-story building being searched, only 14 have made it out alive.

They include a woman and her young son who were lifted from beneath the rubble Friday to a jubilant crowd that held out hopes that more could still be alive beneath the building.

Lack of resources

The canine scavenging the rubble on Saturday is only one of a handful available in the region.

It was flown in by a 42-member search and rescue team from the United Arab Emirates, equipped with sensors, search cameras, special drills and fuel containers.

Other teams on the ground lack the means and advanced search equipment, often digging with nothing but their hands or shovels.

Griffiths on Sunday denounced a failure to provide sufficient aid for victims in war-torn northwestern Syria.

"We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned. Looking for international help that hasn't arrived," Griffiths said on Twitter.

"My duty and our obligation is to correct this failure as fast as we can."

Damascus has accused the European Union of failing to provide enough help to Syrians, but the EU's envoy to Syria Dan Stoenescu said on Sunday the accusation "was absolutely not fair."

Stoenescu said the EU was encouraging member states to provide help and that sanctions "do not impede the delivery of humanitarian aid."

Both the EU and the U.S. have imposed sanctions on Syria. Damascus has appealed for having them lifted in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Greek overtures

Greece, with which Türkiye has a history of rivalry, has been on a path to amend bilateral ties in the wake of Monday's disaster.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Sunday arrived in Türkiye to visit quake-hit areas in a show of support. He was met at the airport by his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, before they flew to Antakya, where Greek rescuers are helping with search and rescue operations.

Türkiye and Greece should not wait for another earthquake to smooth ties, Dendias said, echoing Cavusoglu, who expressed gratitude for Athens' support.

Greece was among the first European countries to send help in the aftermath of the disaster.

(CGTN)