Hearthbreaking moment father holds dead daughter’s hand to say ‘daddy is here’

A grief-stricken father has been pictured holding the hand of his 15-year-old daughter who was crushed to death beneath the rubble of a building in Turkey, saying ‘Daddy is her with you’.

UNICEF says it fears the girl could be one among thousands of children killed in the unfolding crisis, with more than 5,200 fatalities confirmed so far in the two countries. Scores more are trapped in the ruins of their demolished homes.

Two major quakes struck the region on Monday, followed by a 5.8-magnitude quake as rescue efforts to save trapped survivors continued – several of whom have sent videos and voice notes from their confines pleading for help.

A winter storm and freezing temperatures has been hampering those working desperately in a race against time to free people from the rubble, with the cold weather making the need to reach trapped survivors even more urgent.

The WHO has warned that the toll could hit 20,000, and on Tuesday said 23 million people – including 1.4 million children – could be affected.