UAE rescue team saves a child from the rubble in Syrian town of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday. WAM

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has directed that funeral prayers in absentia be performed for the victims of the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, following Juma's prayers (Friday prayers) in all mosques across the country.

Hopes were fading on Thursday for rescuing survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which has killed over 17,500 people in one of the deadliest tremors in decades.

Bitter cold has hampered the four-day search of thousands of flattened buildings and the 72-hour mark that experts consider the most likely period to save lives has passed.

WAM