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Photos: Volunteers race against time to find earthquake survivors

Volunteers continue to search for survivors more than a week after earthquakes devastated Turkey and Syria.

What is left of a small mosque in the bazaar area of Gaziantep after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the city last week — What is left of a small mosque in the bazaar area of Gaziantep after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the city last week. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

By Stefania D'Ignoti and Abdulsalam Jarroud

Gaziantep, Turkey – More than a week has passed since catastrophic earthquakes killed more than 40,000 people in Turkey and Syria, and that number is expected to rise over the next few weeks.

The hopes of finding survivors under the rubble are slowly fading, but rescuers continue to search.

With temperatures dropping dramatically, many displaced people are living in tents in open-air areas. Volunteers are stepping in to provide relief, even those who are victims themselves.

“We just want to offer any type of support amid this desperation,” said Abdul Kareem, who is volunteering to build tents with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

“When you’re surrounded by death and trauma, the only thing you can do is to offer anything you can, including your skills and motivation to do something.”

Although the centre of Gaziantep may not have seen the same degree of devastation as provinces like Hatay or Kahramanmaras, near the epicentre of the earthquake, entire neighbourhoods in the city – such as Ibrahimli – have been partially destroyed.

“I wanted to leave Turkey and emigrate to Europe,” said Levant, a member of the Arama ve Kurtarma [Search and Rescue] team.“But now I want to stay and volunteer for the coming months. After the rescue operations will end, I want to keep volunteering in other fields to support my people.”

Mohammad Dabaan, from Aleppo, lost his house twice, first during the war in Syria, then in Gaziantep during the earthquake. He’s now one of the thousands of people displaced by this natural disaster, but despite that he decided to volunteer with AFAD, Turkey’s disaster agency, to offer support and relief to victims like himself. “I have a bigger baggage of experience, being Syrian,” he tells Al Jazeera. “So the minimum I could do was offer that experience in such a tragic time for Turkey, the country that welcomed me.” — Mohammad Dabaan, from Aleppo, lost his house twice, first during the war in Syria, then in Gaziantep during the earthquake. He’s now one of the thousands of people displaced by this natural disaster, but despite that, he decided to volunteer with AFAD, Turkey’s disaster agency. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

A crane excavates amid the rubbles, a sign that search teams believe there might no longer be survivors beneath the pile of debris. — A crane excavates rubble, a sign that search teams believe there may no longer be survivors beneath the pile of debris. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

Two homeless men volunteer as guardians of the mosque after it was destroyed by the earthquake. They camped outside in a makeshift tent to keep an eye on it — Two homeless men volunteer as guardians of the mosque after it was destroyed by the earthquake. They camped outside in a makeshift tent to keep an eye on the building. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

A group of rescue workers in the Ibrahimli neighbourhood in Gaziantep — the area with the highest number of collapsed buildings in the city — continues excavations at night with the hope of still finding survivors. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

AFAD tents near the train station in Gaziantep. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

Mohammad (right) and Ayman (left) volunteer as unofficial camp guides inside one of the many AFAD settlements scattered across Gaziantep. They translate from Turkish to Arabic and vice-versa for newcomers who don’t find clear logistic information. “It’s easy to feel lost in emergency situations, the chaos doesn’t make it easier,” says Mohammad. — Mohammad (right) and Ayman (left) volunteer as unofficial camp guides inside one of the many AFAD settlements scattered across Gaziantep. They translate from Turkish to Arabic and vice versa for newcomers. “It’s easy to feel lost in emergency situations; the chaos doesn’t make it easier,” said Mohammad. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

Levant, who preferred not to share his last name, who works as a volunteer member of Arama ve Kurtarma (search and rescue), coordinates the rescue operations in a building in Gaziantep turned into rubbles — Levant, who preferred not to share his last name, works as a volunteer member of the Arama ve Kurtarma (Search and Rescue) team, and coordinates rescue operations for a building in Gaziantep that has turned into rubble. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

Mohammad Shabaan volunteers to distribute food and emergency kits with the Turkish Ministry of Family in the Gaziantep neighbourhoods most affected by the quake. “Thousands of people in Gaziantep need assistance. There’s no heating, no gas to cook hot meals at home, everyone is getting sick. I wanted to jump in and offer some help,” he says. — Mohammad Shabaan volunteers to distribute food and emergency kits with the Turkish Ministry of Family in the Gaziantep neighbourhoods most affected by the quake. “Thousands of people in Gaziantep need assistance," he said. "There’s no heating, no gas to cook hot meals at home. Everyone is getting sick. I wanted to jump in and offer some help.” [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

A group of rescue workers stands above the rubbles to have a better visual over the collapse. “We’re always hoping for a miracle, that there may still be survivors, even if just a cat,” says Levant. “But after the first day we haven’t heard voices anymore.” — A group of rescue workers stands above the rubble to better see the collapse. “We’re always hoping for a miracle, that there may still be survivors, even if just a cat,” said Levant. “But after the first day we haven’t heard voices anymore.” [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

Abdul Kareem, originally from Afghanistan, decided to volunteer at one of the AFAD camps in Gaziantep, near the train station, to build tents for the victims of the quake. “I’m an expert in tent building, back at home I used to do that a lot, for different reasons,” he says. — Abdul Kareem, originally from Afghanistan, decided to volunteer at one of the AFAD camps in Gaziantep, near the train station, to build tents for the victims of the quake. “I’m an expert in tent building," he said. "Back at home, I used to do that a lot, for different reasons.” [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]

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Photos: Volunteers race against time to find earthquake survivors

Volunteers continue to search for survivors more than a week after earthquakes devastated Turkey and Syria.