Children pulled from rubble as Türkiye-Syria quake toll tops 7,800

SANLIURFA - Heartrending scenes of a newborn plucked alive from the rubble and a broken father clutching his dead daughter's hand have laid bare the human cost of violent earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye that by Wednesday had claimed 7,800 lives.

For two days and nights since the 7.8 magnitude quake an impromptu army of rescuers have worked in freezing temperatures to find those still entombed among ruins that pockmark several cities either side of the border.

Officially, the death toll from the disaster now stands at 7,800. But that could yet double if the worst fears of experts are realised.

The World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that time is running out for the thousands injured and those still feared trapped.

Even for survivors, the future seems bleak. 

Many have taken refuge from relentless aftershocks, cold rain and snow in mosques, schools and even bus shelters -- burning debris to stay alive. 

Frustration is growing that help has been slow to arrive.   

Across the border in northern Syria, a decade of civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment had already destroyed hospitals, collapsed the economy and prompted electricity, fuel and water shortages.

In the rebel-controlled town of Jindayris, even the joy of rescuing a newborn baby was tainted with sadness.

She was still tethered to her mother who was killed in the disaster.

- International response -

Dozens of nations including the United States, China and the Gulf States have pledged to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces.

The World Health Organisation has warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone. 

The Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as President Bashar al-Assad's government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would not work with the Damascus government.

"These funds, of course, go to the Syrian people -- not to the regime. That won't change," he said.

Aid agencies have also asked the Syrian government to allow border crossings to be reopened to bring help to rebel-held areas.

The Türkiye-Syria border is one of the world's most active earthquake zones.

Monday's earthquake was the largest Türkiye has seen since 1939, when 33,000 died in the eastern Erzincan province.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed more than 17,000 people in 1999.