[WATCH] Maltese rescuers in Turkey: ‘We’re only finding dead people’

Maltese rescuers assisting Turkey’s earthquake victims have been working day and night, but are yet to find a survivor.

“As time passes, the hope that we may find people alive diminishes, because it is very cold here,” CPD assistant rescue officer Jonathan Callus told Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri via video call.

Overnight temperatures in the worst-affected parts of Turkey's earthquake are plunging below freezing, with Callus stating that the crew had to work through the night in -6°C weather.

Aside from the weather, the rescue squad faces additional hurdles such as the language barrier and differing work procedures. 

“We're doing everything we can to help these people,” Callus told the minister.

Across southern Turkey and northern Syria, a massive rescue operation is underway. The Maltese rescue team is assigned with locating victims trapped beneath the rubble of a hotel.

The urban search and rescue team made up of 32 personnel and a dog from the CPD arrived in Turkey on Tuesday.

The Civil Protection Department is also accepting donations to be delivered to quake-hit victims in Turkey and Syria at its fire stations in Ħal Far and Xewkija between 9am and 5pm, every day.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry will be sending financial aid to the Syrian people through the International Rescue Committee, which helps victims of natural disasters.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Turkish Embassy also asked for donations that will be sent to earthquake survivors in Turkey.