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Business News/ News / World/  Miraculous tales of survival continue to emerge as in Turkey, Syria as earthquake death toll tops 28,000
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Miraculous tales of survival continue to emerge as in Turkey, Syria as earthquake death toll tops 28,000

Tens of thousands of local and international rescue workers are still scouring through flattened neighbourhoods despite freezing weather that has compounded the misery of millions now in desperate need of aid.

A view shows a site of a collapsed building as the search for survivors continues in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 11, 2023. (Image: Reuters)Premium
A view shows a site of a collapsed building as the search for survivors continues in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 11, 2023. (Image: Reuters)

The death toll has continued to climb up in Turkey and Syria, following two earthquakes that hit the region on 6 February. According to the latest updates, more than 28,000 people have died from the deadliest quake in the region. Thousands survivors are left homeless on the street suffering for basic necessities like food and water in the freezing cold.

Tens of thousands of local and international rescue workers are still scouring through flattened neighbourhoods despite freezing weather that has compounded the misery of millions now in desperate need of aid.

Many people are still being pulled alive from the debris since the disaster took place. Experts had earlier predicted that the possibility of survival for up to a week or more, depending on their injuries and the weather conditions. Disaster medicine experts had told the Associated press that most rescues occur in the first 24 hours after the earthquake.

After day one, survival chances drop as each day passed. Access to water, air, and weather conditions are crucial factors for survival.

Though the death toll is rising, the miraculous tales of survival continue to emerge.

Also Read: Turkey quake: Missing Indian national found dead in debris of hotel in Malatya

One such is example is Ibrahim Zakaria who lost track of time drifting into and out of consciousness while trapped for nearly five days in the rubble of his home following the massive earthquake.

The 23-year-old is a cellphone shop worker from the Syrian town of Jableh survived on dirty drips of water and eventually lost hope that he'd be saved.

"I said I am dead and it will be impossible for me to live again," Zakaria, who was rescued Friday night, told The Associated Press on Saturday from his bed at a hospital.

Although each rescue elicited hugs and shouts of "Allahu akbar!" — "God is great!" — from the weary men and women working tirelessly in the freezing temperatures to save lives, they were the exception in a region blanketed by grief, desperation and mounting frustration.

More than a dozen survivors were rescued on Saturday, one such is a 7-month-old boy in Antakya and a family in Kahramanmaras. Crews there helped 12-year-old Nehir Naz Narli to safety before going back for her parents.

In Gaziantep province, which borders Syria, a family of five was rescued from a demolished building in the city of Nurdagi and a man and his 3-year-old daughter were pulled from debris in the town of Islahiye, as reported by television network HaberTurk. A 7-year-old girl was also rescued in Hatay province.

In Elbistan, a district in Kahramanmaras province, 20-year-old Melisa Ulku and another person were saved from the rubble 132 hours after the quake struck. Before she was brought to safety, police asked onlookers not to cheer or clap so as not to interfere with nearby rescue efforts.

Turkish TV station NTV reported that a 44-year-old man in Iskenderun, in Hatay province, was rescued 138 hours into his ordeal. Crying rescuers called it a miracle, with one saying that they weren't expecting to find anyone alive but as they were digging, they saw his eyes and he said his name.

Another miracle incident was a baby boy Hamza who was found alive in Antakya 140 hours after the quake. A 2 months old was rescued alive 120 hrs under the rubble.

Yazi al-Ali, a Syrian refugee who had come to Antakya from Reyhanli, has been living in a tent as she waits for crews to find her mother, two sisters, including one who was pregnant, and their families. At one point, she stood over the rubble of the home in Antakya's old city centre where she believes her pregnant sister was buried and, in a cracking voice, shouted her sister's name, "Rajha!" "No one is answering to us, and no one comes to look," she said. "They have stopped us from looking ourselves. I don't know why," she said.

A family of eight was rescued after being trapped under the rubble for over 136 hours, as reported by Upward News. 

Rescuers were shifting to thermal cameras to help identify life amid the rubble, a sign that any remaining survivors could be too weak to call for help.

Another heartening survivor is a two-month-old baby and an elderly woman who were pulled from the rubble on Saturday.

"Is the world there?" asked 70-year-old Menekse Tabak as she was pulled out from the rubble in the southern city of Kahramanmaras to applause and cries praising God, according to a video shared on state broadcaster TRT Haber.

In the city of Antakya, a two-month-old baby was found alive 128 hours after the quake, state news agency Anadolu reported. A two-year-old girl, a six-month pregnant woman, plus a four-year-old and her father, were among those rescued five days after the quake, Turkish media reported.

Turkey's disaster agency on Saturday had said that said nearly 32,000 people from Turkish bodies are working on search and rescue efforts. In addition, there are 8,294 international rescuers. As per WHO, almost 26 million people have been affected by the deadly earthquake that ravaged Turkey and Syria this week. The UN health agency launched a flash appeal Saturday asking for $42.8 million to help it address the immediate, towering health needs.

(With inputs from Associated Press)

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Published: 12 Feb 2023, 06:02 AM IST
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