Miraculous rescues bring glimmers of light in the midst of the disaster, while those who survived the earthquake are still without shelter in cold conditions.
Videos broadcast by news agencies show individual successful rescue operations, seven days after two powerful earthquakes.
For example, in the badly destroyed Antakya, Turkey, a woman was found alive under a building on Monday. A 40-year-old woman was rescued from Islahiye. Children have also been found still alive in the ruins.
However, hopes for survival are fading. According to earthquake experts, the chance of survival decreases dramatically after five days, and is practically non-existent if a person has been in the ruins for nine days. However, miracles can happen.
According to the authorities, however, the rescue phase is coming to an end as the main focus shifts to helping the survivors.
Uncertain times are ahead for survivors
People have been evacuated from villages and towns destroyed by the earthquake, but many have remained outside near their ruined homes. The night temperature is around six degrees.
The Reuters news agency reports, for example, the situation in the Turkish village of Polat, which is located a hundred kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. Almost the entire village has been destroyed. People are trying to survive by looking for refrigerators, washing machines and other supplies in the piles of rubble.
In Turkey, the poor quality of the buildings is blamed
The magnitudes of the two earthquakes that struck on February 6 were 7.8 and 7.5. There were also several aftershocks.
The death toll has now been confirmed at more than 35,000. Most of the victims are in Turkey, but there is less information about the situation in Syria. The number of victims is still expected to rise.
In Turkey, the high number of victims is partly blamed on the poor quality of the buildings. The authorities have begun to investigate developers who have connections to the collapsed houses. At least 130 people are under investigation in Turkey.
In Syria, it is more difficult to get help
In Syria, which has suffered from many problems, there have been serious shortcomings in getting aid to the country.
– Syrians are waiting for international aid, which has not arrived, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, who visited Syria on Sunday Martin Griffiths said.
According to Martin Griffiths, the people of northwest Syria feel abandoned.
The Syrian regime has also made it difficult for aid to arrive. It has restricted access to areas controlled by its political opponents.
Sources: Reuters