Stunning images show hope as young lives are saved but death toll rises in Turkey and Syria

Rescuers struggled to save quake survivors yesterday amid warnings time is running out for thousands trapped beneath collapsed homes.

A newborn baby was among those pulled from the rubble after relatives found she was still attached to her dead mother with an umbilical cord.

The mother died when a powerful earthquake hit her home in Jinderis, Syria, apparently shortly after giving birth.

The baby’s immediate family were killed, leaving her as the sole survivor, but she was spotted by other relatives after hearing noises as they were digging through the rubble of the home. Elsewhere, a young boy named Ahmed was rescued after rescuers spotted three of his toes sticking out from under a concrete slab in Qatma. Syria. In southern Turkey, Hulya Yilmaz and her baby Ayse Vera were rescued after 29 hours under the rubble of a collapsed building.

And video from Afrin, Syria, showed the incredible moment as rescuers dug a tiny girl out of rubble while her father tried to keep her calm. The father said: ‘Dad is here – don’t worry!’ Another film was posted to Twitter showing two sisters trapped under a concrete slab in an undisclosed location, asking for help.

A newborn baby was among those pulled from the rubble after relatives found she was still attached to her dead mother with an umbilical cord

The baby’s immediate family were killed, leaving her as the sole survivor, but she was spotted by other relatives after hearing noises as they were digging through the rubble of the home

The death toll from Monday’s tremors, which devastated huge parts of Turkey and Syria last night, reached 7,200 amid fears the disaster could claim as many as 20,000 lives. More than 5,400 people have died in Turkey and another 1,800 in Syria.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said thousands of youths may have been killed.

Three Britons are among those missing, while at least 35 British nationals were involved in the chaos. In some places, quake survivors said they could hear the voices of trapped people, but rescuers never arrived.

Aftershocks and blocked roads have hampered rescue efforts, while the overwhelming scale of the disaster has strained resources and equipment

Sub-zero temperatures mean some trapped people may die from hypothermia and exposure before they can be rescued.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 13 million citizens of his country were affected in some way and declared three-month states of emergency in ten provinces. The World Health Organization put the total number of people affected in Turkey and Syria at up to 23 million.

In Turkey’s Hatay province, survivors said they heard people under collapsed buildings pleading for help.

A young boy named Ahmed was rescued after rescuers discovered three of his toes sticking out from under a concrete slab in Qatma. Syria

The boy was saved by rescuers after they discovered his toes, which he was wiggling to show he was alive

Infant Raghad Ismail, who was pulled from the rubble on the front page of the Daily Mail yesterday, is being cared for at her uncle’s home in Azaz, Syria

Nurgul Atay said she and others tried to reach her mother but were unsuccessful in moving heavy concrete slabs. She could hear her mother’s anguished voice adding, “My mother is 70 years old – she won’t last long.” Another Hatay resident named Deniz said, “They make noise but no one comes. They call. They say, “Save us!” but we cannot save them. How are we going to save her?’

Some of those trapped left devastating messages and desperate pleas for help on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The first 7.8-magnitude tremor struck in the early hours of Monday, forcing survivors to leave their crumbling homes in pajamas, some without shoes or coats. Aftershocks rumbled for hours while rescue efforts began, and a second 7.5-magnitude quake hit Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings already damaged by the first major quake.

Roads and border crossings were closed and partially destroyed, making relief efforts difficult. Survivors have tried to shelter in cars or makeshift tents on the freezing ground while rescuers continue to dig, sometimes with their bare hands.

Aid organizations warned that food and water supplies are running out and homeless people are in dire need of warm clothing.

The face of a small child emerges from the rubble of a block of flats in Afrin, Syria

The little girl says to the rescuer as he reaches her: Get me and my sister out from under this wreck

In Hatay, former Newcastle and Everton footballer Christian Atsu, 31, was among those pulled from the rubble. The aid group International Rescue Committee warned of “catastrophic humanitarian hardship” in Turkey and Syria, where power and gas supplies have also been severely affected. Meanwhile, the UK has deployed 77 search and rescue specialists with state-of-the-art equipment and four rescue dogs to Turkey.

A British medical team, including surgeons and paramedics, was due to arrive at the disaster area last night. Around 70 countries have pledged their help and many charities are launching appeals for donations. Turkish communities in the UK have already raised £300,000 and sent 300 aid packages.

King Charles sent a message to President Erdogan saying he and Camilla were “extremely shocked and deeply saddened”.

He added, “Our thoughts and special prayers are with everyone affected by this appalling natural disaster – whether through injuries or the destruction of their property – as well as the emergency services and those helping with the rescue effort.”