Palestinians begin fundraising drive for Turkey-Syria earthquake survivors

Palestinians have begun a fundraising drive to help survivors of an earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February and killed at least 46,000 people.

The drive "is a humanitarian message to our people in Syria and [Turkey]", said Hebron Chamber of Commerce chief Abdo Idris.

His organisation, which is helping arrange the effort, has started speaking with businessmen to gather funds, he was cited as saying by Turkish state news agency Anadolu on Saturday.

It comes after previous Palestinian fundraising and participation in earthquake relief efforts.

More than 100 Palestinians have lost their lives to the 7.8-magnitude quake.

Rescue efforts have ended in all Turkish provinces except the two hardest hit, the Turkish disaster agency said on Sunday.

"In many of our provinces, search and rescue efforts have been completed. They continue in Kahramanmaras and Hatay provinces," the agency's chief Yunus Sezer told reporters in Ankara.

The epicentre of the earthquake was in Pazarcik district in Kahramanmaras. The tremor hit 11 Turkish southeastern provinces in total.

Sezer said search and rescue efforts continued at around 40 buildings in the provinces on the 14th day, but expected the number to fall by late Sunday.

Agencies contributed to this report.