Live Updates I Focus turns to quake aid but rescues continue

Emergency crews made a series of dramatic rescues in Turkey on Friday, pulling several people from the rubble four days after a catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed more than 20,000. Temperatures remained below freezing across the large region, and many people had no place to shelter. The government has distributed millions of hot meals, as well as tents and blankets, but is still struggling to reach many people in need.

___

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The Foreign Ministry of ethnically divided Cyprus says Turkey has “kindly declined” its offer for a rescue team to help with the search for people trapped in collapsed buildings following Monday’s devastating earthquake.

The Foreign Ministry said in a Friday tweet that the offer, which had been initially accepted, “still stands” and expressed gratitude for professional rescuers “ready to save lives everywhere.”

A 15-member Cypriot team of rescuers as well as a doctor and a paramedic have been on standby since Wednesday to travel to Turkey as part of the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.