Korean rescuers free 3 more survivors

A Korean team of rescuers found three more survivors in quake-hit Turkey, raising the number of people rescued by the team to eight, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Sunday.

They pulled a 65-year-old woman at 2:02 p.m. from the rubble in Antakya with her dead husband. A few hours later they also rescued a 17-year-old man and his 51-year-old mother from the same building in the city Saturday at 7:18 p.m. and 8:18 p.m., respectively, aided by use of a sound detector and a rock drill. The woman’s condition was good, but her son was unconscious, it added.

The Korean team started its search and rescue mission early Thursday, a few hours after landing in Turkey. The team, consisting of military personnel and firefighters, has been operating in Antakya, Hatay province, which was ravaged by the biggest quake in decades.

“Since starting the operations, our emergency relief team has rescued eight survivors and will continue an intensive search and rescue mission in places where there is a high chance of locating survivors,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that they also recovered 18 dead.

At least 28,000 people have died while tens of thousands of people are still missing after an earthquake hit Turkey and Syria last week. Quake searches by international specialists have continued, though time and hope are running short. German and Austrian rescuers said Sunday they suspended rescue missions in Turkey, citing security problems. Reports have surfaced about clashes and gunfire over access to food and water.