Turkey and Syria earthquake death toll passes 46,000, three people rescued 13 days after quakes

More than 46,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria as the toll is expected to soar, with some 264,000 apartments in Turkey destroyed and many still missing.

Total number of people killed in Turkey has hit 40,642 and the Syrian government and the UN say more than 5,800 people have died in Syria pushing the total death toll to more than 46,000.

Turkish rescuers on Saturday pulled three people, including a child, alive from the rubble, 13 days after the massive earthquake hit Turkiye.

The man, woman and child were transferred to ambulances after spending 296 hours buried under the Kanatli apartment block in Antakya, the capital of Hatay province.

Turkish rescuers on Friday pulled a 45-year-old man from rubble, several hours after others discovered three people, including a 14-year-old boy, alive under debris.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Ghana’s football player Christian Atsu was found dead under the building where he lived in southern Turkey, his Turkish agent said.

“We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness,” his Turkish club, Hatayspor, said on Twitter.

Many international rescue teams have left the vast earthquake zone, but domestic teams have continued to search through flattened buildings on Saturday hoping to find more survivors who defied the odds.

Nearly 6,500 babies have been born in southern Turkey since twin earthquakes shook the region earlier this month, the Turkish health minister said.

A total of “6,447 babies have been born in the earthquake region since the first day of the disaster. Every child born is a hope,” Fahrettin Koca said at the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) Coordination Center in the southern province of Hatay.