Ryan Gray and Kyle Murray from K9 Search & Rescue NI have joined the international rescue operation in the southern Turkish city of Adana.
"These people have lost absolutely everything," Mr Gray told BBC News NI.
"And they're still trying and holding out for hope for us to pull their loved ones out of the collapsed buildings."
The two-man team and their search dogs Max and Delta flew to Turkey on Friday and are working with Evolsar - the European Association of Civil Protection Volunteer Teams.
They will spend their days searching through rubble p
Woman 'heard moving under rubble'
They have not had much chance to sleep yet as they are also on call at night if teams hear signs of someone trapped at the site of a collapsed building.
"Last night, just when we went to bed, we actually got a call," Mr Gray said
iles and their nights sleeping in tents despite the sub-zero temperatures.
Rescuers still on site believed that a 20-year-old woman was trapped under the rubble of a high-rise tower block.
"We got the call at about 10:30 [on Saturday night] and we left the scene at 05:00 this morning when they were still digging," Mr Gray said.
"The dogs that we're using only find live people. They had indicated on the rubble pile, which then led to the rescue teams to start digging.
"We also brought in our colleagues who have specialist listening equipment and at that point they could hear her moving about within the rubble.
"It was a seven-story building so obviously it took an incredibly long time to dig down.
"My understanding is she had not long passed away whenever they recovered her this afternoon."
The victim was among more than 30,000 people who are now known to have died after two major earthquakes, measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the magnitude scale, hit Turkey and Syria early last week.
Despite the passage of time and the freezing conditions, people are still being pulled alive from the rubble, giving hope to waiting families and exhausted rescuers.
Clashes and armed guards
Mr Gray said people in Adana were becoming increasing distraught and desperate at the sites of collapsed buildings.
"The atmosphere is changing a little bit," he explained.
"All the locals are very, very welcoming but whenever we get to a stage when we're on a rubble pile there's a lot of frustration.