Photo of Turkish man holding dead daughter's hand depicts tragedy

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An image has emerged from the disaster-stricken region of Kahramanmaraş, showing a father holding the hand of his dead daughter, which has sent a wave of emotions and a glimpse of the despair among the people affected by the disaster. 

The father, Mesut Hancer, is seen holding his 15-year-old daughter Irmak's hand, lying on her bed underneath the bricks and concrete of what was once their home - in the city that was the epicenter of the first 7.8-magnitude earthquake, followed by a second quake of 7.7 magnitude.

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In the same city, two children were found alive under the rubble, as rescuers tried to silence the crowds in order to hear survivors and locate them.

The same scene was witnessed in Syria, per AP, where a father was seen holding his dead daughter in his arms after walking away from the collapsed building they lived in.

In Syria, a newborn baby was found alive under the rubble and was shockingly found with her umbilical cord tied to her dead mother.

Death toll not final, keeps rising

Turkey's disaster authorities announced on Wednesday that the death toll has risen to 7,108. 

"The loss of every citizen deeply saddens us," Turkish VP Fuat Oktay told reporters during a news conference, he then added that efforts continue to be underway as more people remain under the rubble. According to the VP, approximately 5,775 buildings collapsed in Turkey.

As for Syria, the death toll has almost reached 2,470 people, which brings the total number of deaths from the earthquake in both countries to more than 9,000 people. As for the casualties in Syria, the number has exceeded 4,000 according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent

A state of emergency for three months has been declared by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 10 affected provinces. 

In his speech to the disaster-stricken nation, Erdogan said: "We will rapidly complete the presidential and parliamentary processes regarding the decision on a state of emergency, which will last three months and cover 10 earthquake-affected provinces,"

The 10 provinces include Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman, and Gaziantep. 

Syria excluded from humanity

Due to the inhumane sanctions imposed on Syria, the country is being deprived of humanitarian aid. At a time that calls for unity, Western nations turned away from Syria.

In these defining moments and amid this humanitarian catastrophe, it was expected that all political rifts and rivalries would be brought aside for a short while at least, mainly because the destructive event has directly affected civilians. Sadly, the US continued the imposition of its sanctions on Syria without reprieve.