The death toll has risen to more than 19,000 after Monday's earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria as hopes start to fade of finding survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Key points:
- In Türkiye more than 16,100 people have been reported dead and the death toll in Syria is 3,162
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to visit the quake-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Kilis
- More than 110,000 rescuers and more than 5,500 vehicles are on the ground
Emergency crews working through the night in the city of Antakya were able to pull a young girl from the ruins of a building and also rescued her father two hours later on Thursday, news agency IHA reported.
Rescue crews told the man his daughter was alive and they were taking him to the same field hospital for treatment.
"I love you all," he faintly whispered to the rescue team.
In Diyarbakir, east of Antakya, rescuers freed an injured woman from a collapsed building in the early morning but found the three people next to her in the rubble dead, the DHA news agency reported.
Turkish authorities said on Thursday that the death toll had risen to more than 16,100 in Türkiye, with above than 64,000 injured.
On the Syrian side, which includes government-held and rebel-held areas, more than 3,100 have been reported dead and more than 5,000 injured.
Tens of thousands are thought to have lost their homes.
In Antakya, former residents of a collapsed building huddled around an outdoor fire overnight into Thursday, wrapping blankets tightly around themselves to try and stay warm.
Serap Arslan said many people remained under the rubble of the nearby building, including her mother and brother.
She said machinery only started to move some of the heavy concrete on Wednesday.
"We tried to clear the debris on our own, but unfortunately our efforts have been insufficient," she said.
Selen Ekimen wiped tears from her face with gloved hands as she explained that both her parents and brother were still buried.
"There's been no sound from them for days," she said. "Nothing."
First 72 hours 'critical'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was scheduled to travel to the quake-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Kilis on Thursday amid ongoing criticism that the government's response had been too slow.
Experts say the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was closing rapidly, but it is too soon to abandon hope.
"The first 72 hours are considered to be critical," Nottingham Trent University natural hazards expert Steven Godby said.
"The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74 per cent, after 72 hours it is 22 per cent and by the fifth day it is 6 per cent."
According to the disaster management agency, more than 110,000 rescue personnel were now taking part in the effort and more than 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators had been shipped.
The task is monumental, however, with thousands of buildings toppled by the earthquake.
Mr Erdoğan, who is up for re-election in May, acknowledged problems with the emergency response to Monday's magnitude-7.8 quake, but said the winter weather had been a factor.
The earthquake also destroyed the runway at Hatay's airport, further disrupting the response.
Teams from more than two dozen countries have joined the local emergency personnel in the effort.
In Syria, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces.
The earthquake's toll has already outstripped that of a magnitude-7.8 quake in Nepal in 2015, when 8,800 died.
A 2011 earthquake in Japan triggered a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.
AP