Turkey and Syria rescuers persist as death toll passes 28,000

Rescuers continued to pull some survivors out of the rubble on Saturday, five days after the tremors of the first earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, but hopes were fading for many more to be found.

Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake is Turkey’s most devastating since 1939 and the death toll continues to rise. The death toll exceeded 21,000 in Turkey as of 20:00 GMT, and more than 3,500 others were confirmed dead in Syria, as the overall toll surpassed 25,000.

Reporting from Antakya, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said that despite the overwhelming level of destruction in the capital of Turkey’s Hatay province, there was still a glimmer of hope.

“We are in the 135th hour now since the quakes, but there is still some hope. In the 132nd hour, a toddler was rescued, and a couple of hours before that, a man and woman were rescued alive. The search for survivors has not stopped,” said Smith.

He added the government plans to reopen the airport in the city within 24 hours.

“The airport runway was badly damaged. They said they are about to re-tarmac. This will be essential for relief flights. The need is so desperate for aid,” said Smith.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, facing questions over earthquake planning and response time, has said authorities should have reacted faster.

Looters arrested

Volunteers in Antakya have said ransacking was adding to their daunting task.

Erdogan said he would take tough measures against looters.

“We’ve declared a state of emergency,” he said during a visit to the disaster zone. “It means that, from now on, the people who are involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the state’s firm hand is on their backs,” he said.