Hopes fading as quake deaths swell to over 17,500

HOPES were fading Thursday for rescuing survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which has killed over 17,500 people in one of the deadliest tremors in decades.

Bitter cold has hampered the four- day search of thousands of flattened buildings and the 72-hour mark that experts consider the most likely period to save lives has passed. Relatives were left scouring body bags laid out in a hospital car park in Turkey's southern city of Antakya to search for missing relatives, an indication of the scale of the tragedy.

"We found my aunt, but not my uncle," said Rania Zaboubi, a Syrian refugee who lost eight members of her family, as other survivors sought loved ones' bodies among the corpses.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck as people slept early Monday in a region where many people had already

2 injured Filipinos in Turkey now safe, PH community gets relief

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Philippine Embassy in Turkey on Thursday began bringing aid to Filipinos affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week.

9.6m

ABOUT 9.6 million of the adult labor force in the Philippines were jobless as of December last year, up by about 800,000 from the last survey period two months prior, according to the latest poll of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Elena Algabre said the embassy promised not to lose hope as it begins its quest to reach out to Filipinos there.

“Mindful of current regulations implemented by the Turkish government, up 800k from

“The estimated numbers of jobless are 9.6 million in December 2022 and 8.8 million in October 2022,” it said.

The poll comes on the heels of data released by the Philippine Statistics

SAVING CHILDREN. A rescue worker digs to reach children under the rubble of a collapsed building in the rebel-held town of Jindayris in Syria on February 8, two days after a deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. Rebel-held areas near Turkey's border cannot receive aid from government-held parts of Syria without Damascus's authorisation. AFP