Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Helpers get a woman with two children out of the rubble 78 hours after the earthquake

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People sit around a fire to warm themselves in Kahramanmaraş province

Photo: SUHAIB SALEM / REUTERS

In Turkey, rescue workers freed a mother and her two children from under rubble after 78 hours.

Pictures show how helpers carried the woman and children on a stretcher and in slings to an ambulance to applause.

They had been staying under the ruins of their house in Kahramanmaraş Province.

The helpers fell into each other's arms.

One told broadcaster CNN Türk that he was happy with the small success.

They worked for 15 hours to free the family.

After the severe earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area on Monday, the rescue workers are fighting against time.

With every hour that has passed since the earthquake, the chances of finding survivors are decreasing.

According to the government, more than 100,000 helpers are in action.

They are assisted by search dogs.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7 to 7.8, shook the border area early Monday morning and caused enormous devastation.

Another earthquake of magnitude 7.5 followed in the same region on Monday afternoon.

Helpers rescue a baby from a collapsed building

The total death toll in both countries has now risen to over 16,000.

According to a new report by authorities and rescue workers, 12,873 people died in Turkey.

In Syria, the death toll rose to 3,162.

It is feared that the numbers will continue to rise.

There are also more than 66,000 injured in Turkey and Syria.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 23 million people could be affected in both countries.

In the night of Thursday, the rough orientation mark of 72 hours was exceeded, after which the chances of survival of buried people are estimated to be very low.

Nevertheless, there were further rescue successes: around 68 hours after the tremors, a baby was rescued from a collapsed building in Hatay province, and a few hours later apparently the father too.

The Bundeswehr now wants to fly around 50 tons of relief supplies to the region.

A first plane took off in the morning from Wunstorf in Lower Saxony.

Teams from various aid organizations had previously flown to Turkey.

Baerbock is pushing for the opening of further border crossings to Syria – trucks are expected

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is now pushing for improved care for the people affected in northern Syria.

The problem is "that the Syrian regime does not open this border," Baerbock told WDR.

The Bab al-Hawa border crossing is the only open one of what were originally four border crossings from Turkey to northern Syria.

Baerbock said more additions are needed.

She has already spoken about this with her Turkish counterpart.

On Thursday, up to six trucks with aid supplies from the United Nations are expected to arrive in Syria via Bab al-Hawa.

This is reported by the dpa news agency, citing UN circles.

Trucks have not been able to reach Bab al-Hawa due to damage to roads.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the roads have now been partially repaired.

Even before the earthquake, the Bab al-Hawa border crossing was a lifeline for around 4.5 million people in areas in the northwest of the country not controlled by the Syrian government.

Even before the earthquake, the Syrian government wanted humanitarian aid to flow completely through the areas it controlled in order to deprive the rebels in the north of further resources.

According to the United Nations, 90 percent of the population there were already dependent on humanitarian aid before the disaster.

Millions displaced by fighting in Syria live in the region.

Adding to their suffering are poor nutrition, cholera, cold winter weather and now the aftermath of the earthquakes.

kko/dpa/AFP