Update

Hello MEE readers. More than 15,000 people have died in the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and rescue teams' hopes are diminishing. It is now past the 72-hour period that experts say is crucial to saving people trapped under the rubble.

As government resources have been stretched thin, Turkish citizens have been stepping up to volunteer in relief efforts. And in northwestern Syria, UN aid is not reaching opposition-held territory, officials and humanitarian workers have told MEE.