Kahramanmaras Earthquakes
Two weeks after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Syria, Turkey has ended most search and rescue operations.
The collective death toll across Turkey and Syria now has risen to at least 46,530.
However, search and rescue efforts are still underway in 40 buildings in two provinces, Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the quakes, and Hatay one of the most affected towns.
Survivors continue to be found under the rubbles since the quake struck.
On Saturday, a couple and their 12-year-old child were rescued in Hatay , 296 hours after the earthquake.
According to reports by Aljazeera and CNN, a professor of the disaster has said that however unusual, survivors can be found after this long.
The death toll is expected to climb, with about 345,000 apartments in Turkey known to have been destroyed and many people still missing.
Neither Turkey nor Syria has said how many people are still unaccounted for.
Concerns are growing over the victims of the tragedy in Syria, with the World Food Programme (WFP) pressuring authorities in the northwest to stop blocking access to the area as it seeks to help hundreds of thousands of people ravaged by earthquakes.
The area is controlled by fighters at war with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad which has complicated efforts to get aid to people.
Medics and experts have voiced concerns about the possible spread of infection in the areas where tens of thousands of buildings collapsed last week, leaving sanitation infrastructure damaged.
For families still waiting to retrieve relatives in Turkey, there is growing anger about what they see as corrupt building practices and deeply flawed urban development that resulted in thousands of homes and businesses disintegrating.
Turkey has promised to investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings and has ordered the detention of more than 100 suspects, including developers.
BY NKATHA WAINAINA
Tags: Wfp Signtv Syria-Turkey Earthquake Kahramanmaras
