The cry of a toddler, pulled alive from under the rubble of a collapsed apartment block after being trapped for 39 hours, was the only joy in Algeria today where the earthquake death toll soared beyond 1,500, with more than 7,000 injured.

Bodies wrapped in blankets and plastic bags piled up in morgues today as the death toll mounted following Algeria’s devastating earthquake.

Panic-stricken families slept in the streets and parks of Algeria’s seaside capital for a second night, while rescuers led a frenzied hunt for survivors near the epicentre of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and injured nearly 7,000.