Rescue workers from Bangladesh have recovered four dead bodies of a family in the aftermath of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey after an operation that lasted eight hours.

They conducted the rescue operation at Jim Hurriyet Mahallesi in Adiyaman city on Tuesday.

The combined rescue team led by the Bangladesh army rescued one person and recovered 19 bodies in earthquake-devastated Turkey so far, the Fire Service and Civil Defence said in a statement.

The bodies of a man, a woman and their two children were recovered and handed over to their relatives.

Besides the Bangladesh team, rescuers from other countries also took part in Tuesday’s operation, the Fire Service said.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake ravaged cities in Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Feb 6, leaving many survivors homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures. The combined death toll exceeded 41,000.

Bangladeshi rescuers recover 4 bodies of a family in Turkey earthquake

Bangladesh sent a team of 61 medical experts and rescuers to Turkey, joining humanitarian efforts to help hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by the earthquakes.

Bangladesh observed a day of national mourning last Thursday to commemorate the dead in Turkey and Syria. The national flag was lowered to half-mast, with places of worship holding special prayers.