China News Service, February 9th (Xinhua) Comprehensive foreign media reports, so far, the strong earthquake has caused more than 12,000 deaths in Turkey and Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rushed to inspect the disaster area on the 8th local time and promised to provide resettlement houses for the victims.

On February 7, local time, in Al Atareb, Syria, rescuers rescued a trapped person.

Race against the clock!

They searched and rescued trapped people with bare hands

　　According to the latest news from Agence France-Presse, relevant officials and medical staff said that the earthquake has killed 9,057 people in Turkey and at least 3,042 in Syria.

As time passed, the job of finding survivors became more urgent.

　　"The buildings that didn't collapse were badly damaged. Now there are more people under the ruins than on the ruins," said Hassan, a resident of Daris.

He did not reveal his full name.

"About 400-500 people were trapped under each collapsed building and there were only 10 people trying to pull them out, and there were no machines."

　　Across swathes of southern Turkey, people sought shelter and food amid the harsh winter and waited in agony beside piles of rubble where family and friends may still be buried.

Some Turks pointed out the lack of equipment and expertise to rescue the trapped people, even though cries for help could sometimes be heard.

Neighboring Syria has also encountered a similar situation.

　　In the southern Turkish city of Antakya, residents sometimes moved rubble with their bare hands, sometimes without basic tools, as they rushed to find loved ones still trapped amidst the rubble.

While waiting for the reinforcements to arrive, the people asked each other if they had safety helmets, hammers, iron rods, and ropes, and then started excavation work by themselves.

　　Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the disaster-stricken provinces such as Kahramanmaras and Hatay on the 8th.

Responding to questions about the rescue effort, he admitted, "There are some problems with the airport and the roads, but it's better now. We'll be better tomorrow and later. We still have some problems with fuel ... but we'll get over that too."

　　Erdogan added, "As of now, a total of 21,200 personnel including soldiers, gendarmes and police are working in Hatay." Returnables build housing.

　　The Syrian government said it has established more than 100 shelters equipped with relief supplies, including in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and others.

Syria has also converted dozens of mosques into centers for earthquake victims.

Image source: CNN report screenshot

A moving scene:

the sister is trapped in the ruins and still protects her brother's head with her hands

　　As the rescue progressed, some touching scenes after the earthquake sparked heated discussions on social media.

　　A young brother and sister have been rescued after being trapped in the rubble for more than 36 hours after a strong earthquake hit a village in northwestern Syria's Idlib province.

When the search and rescue personnel found the siblings sandwiched between the huge cement slabs, the older sister was raising her small arms to protect the younger brother's head.

　　The siblings' father recalled, "We felt the ground tremble... rubble started falling from above us and we stayed below for two days. People heard us and we were rescued - me, my wife and Children. Thank God we are all alive and we are grateful to those who saved us."

　　Video showed locals cheering as children wrapped in blankets were carried out of the rubble.

They were then taken to hospital for treatment.

　　Eight-year-old Igit Cakmak was pulled from the rubble by rescuers 52 hours after the first earthquake hit the region in Hatay, Turkey.

He was passed from one rescuer to another until he was finally embraced again by his mother, who was waiting at the scene.