Greek rescuers find girl dead under rubble, pull out younger sister alive

A 7-year-old girl trapped under the rubble of her home in the Turkish city of Iskenderun, in Hatay province, was found dead by Greek and Turkish rescuers on Tuesday, but her younger sister was pulled out alive, state-run broadcaster ERT reported. 

The crew was not aware that a second child was trapped under the debris. Using special equipment, the team had opened a passage hoping to reach the 7-year-old girl in time, but found her dead. One of the Turkish rescuers heard the second girl and the crews saved her 6-year-old sister.

Both girls had been under the rubble since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks struck eastern Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday.

Rescuers also later extricated a 50-year-old father, member of a family of four, who was trapped under a staircase.

Search teams and emergency aid from around the world have poured into Turkey and Syria as rescuers working in freezing temperatures dug, sometimes with their bare hands, through the remains of buildings flattened by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

The death toll has soared above 5,000 and was still expected to rise. [ERT, AP]