A disaster brings out the best traits of humans and the Turkey-Syria earthquake hasn't been an exception. As five massive quakes in a matter of 48 hours killed over 17,000 people and left hundreds of thousands injured and helplessly trapped under the rubble, citizens toiled for over 4 days to save as many lives as they can.
During such searches, several heart-wrenching stories came forward. For example, how a little girl was seen shielding her younger brother under the quake rubble, then how a newborn baby, who is believed to have been born under the rubble of a flattened building, survived the quake while the mother died while giving birth.
Now, another such video has gone viral where the rescuers pulled out a toddler to safety after nearly 45 hours. The boy seemed parched and as rescue workers offer him water to sip, he gives them back the cutest possible smile.
Watch the video here:
Turkey’s disaster management agency said more than 110,000 rescue personnel were now taking part in the effort and more than 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators had been shipped.
In the Syrian government-held city of Aleppo, rescue workers pulled seven people out alive and 44 bodies on Thursday from a collapsed building in the city center, state TV reported.
“We are racing against time. Time is running out,” said the Syrian paramedic group in the rebel-held northwest known as White Helmets. “Every second could mean saving a life.”
The death toll from Monday's quakes, which struck in the early morning, passed 17,000 on Thursday across both countries. Meanwhile, Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Many have camped out in makeshift shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides or amid the ruins, often desperate for food, water and heat. Authorities say some 6,500 buildings in Turkey collapsed and countless more were damaged in the quake zone where some 13 million people live.
Earlier, the World Health Organisation had predicted that the earthquake is likely to affect over 23 million people.
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