CARRIED ALIVE FROM THE RUBBLE

Fears death toll could pass 10,000 as Turkey is rocked by yet another quake

- Ross Lydall

A BABY was rescued from a collapsed building in Turkey today as a third quake hit the country and the death toll passed 5,000. Six-month-old Ayse Vera and his mother, Hülya Yılmaz, 30, had been trapped for 29 hours in the rubble of a block in Hatay, the epicentre of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A third smaller shock was reported this morning in central Turkey. As an international aid effort, including UK volunteers, struggled into action, there were fears that the number of dead could pass 10,000.

The two countries face a humanitarian disaster, with rescuers hampered by the inability to reach affected areas due to destroyed mountain roads and people fleeing ruined towns.

In Syria, conditions were worsened by a decade of civil war having wrecked the country's infrastructure and caused a refugee crisis.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the impact of the quakes was "on a scale that we have not seen for quite some time".