STORY: "I talked to them and heard their voice, but unfortunately as you can see here they're very slow at work and they don't have enough equipment," he said.

Thousands like Youssef are waiting to see if their relatives will make it out of the wreckage.

Many in the city have refused to go shelters, fearing a new quake, choosing instead to sleep in their cars or on the sidewalks in the open cold air.

The death toll of a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 8,700 people on Wednesday (February 8) as rescuers worked against time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings.