The moving scene of a newborn being pulled alive from the rubble is one of the most memorable in the hours and days following the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, which claimed more than 9,600 lives.
In a fight against time, even because of the cold felt in that part of the world, rescuing people from under the rubble is a joy in the midst of tragedy.
Heartbreaking to see the world turn a blind eye to the tragedy #Syria. So far 1020 people have been lost, hundreds still trapped in the rubble, but still no response from #UN after 40 hours. Rescue teams need support to save lives in the midst of the #earthquake‘s devastation. #StandWithSyria pic.twitter.com/QqinL1fcxA
—Mousa Zidane (@Zidane084) February 7, 2023
Turkish emergency teams managed to rescue a Syrian mother and her two-year-old daughter in the early hours of Wednesday, 44 hours after they were buried under the rubble of a destroyed building in southern Turkey.
After carefully clearing the rubble, teams reached Imed Sabha, a 33-year-old Syrian mother, and her daughter Vafe, who were taken to an ambulance on a stretcher and then taken to a nearby hospital.
Hours earlier, firefighters from the Turkish town of Kayseri in another district of Kahramanmaras had rescued Emin, a six-year-old child, alive from the rubble of a building.
Firefighters rescue little boy Emin, who was trapped under rubble in Türkiye’s southern Kahramanmaras province https://t.co/AlJD0ttmJr pic.twitter.com/HeROKVirP6
– ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 7, 2023
In Syria, residents found a crying newborn baby still connected by umbilical cord to her mother, who was already dead. The baby was the only family member to survive a building collapse in the small town of Jinderis, relatives told The Associated Press.
According to rescue teams, the baby was already born under the rubble after the quake destroyed a four-storey building in Jandairis, a Syrian town hit hard by the quake.
The baby was the only survivor of a family whose members died after the building collapse: the father, Abdallah Mleihan, the mother, Aafra, three sisters, a brother and an aunt.
WATCH: Extended relatives pulled a newborn baby alive from the rubble of a house in northern Syria after finding her still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother, who died in Monday’s (Feb. 6) massive earthquake, a government official said family member. https://t.co/EiumAiPbGr pic.twitter.com/ToLcNIDpaS
– TODAY (@TODAYonline) February 8, 2023
The latest preliminary assessment of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday indicates the deaths of more than 9,600 people in the two countries combined.
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority indicated that about 60,200 members of the search and rescue teams, including experts from more than 70 countries and non-governmental organizations, are working on search and rescue missions and debris removal, under a unit that has deployed more than 100 aircraft and helicopters.
INCREDIBLE video: Cheers go up as lives are saved. During the cold night, the Israeli army rescues people still trapped under the rubble of the Türkiye earthquake.#turkey #Turkey #earthquake #Israel pic.twitter.com/AepJwJlspb
Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) February 8, 2023
The first foreign rescue teams arrived on Tuesday. The European Union (EU) has sent 1,185 rescue teams and 79 sniffer dogs to Turkey from 19 member states, including France, Germany and Greece.
A South Korean military transport plane departed for Turkey on Wednesday carrying 118 rescuers, equipment and supplies from the army, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
| #BREAK: Polish search and rescue teams rescue another girl and a family of four from the rubble of a building.
▪️ The team of #Poland has saved 8 people so far.#earthquake #Turkey pic.twitter.com/4ZFqejoa7B
– EHA News (@eha_news) February 7, 2023
Also this Wednesday, Australia announced the deployment of more than 70 specialists to Turkey to assist with search and rescue tasks.
Bad weather hampers rescue operations and makes the situation even more difficult for some survivors, who suffer from the cold and have to resort to makeshift fireplaces.
Poland assists its ally Turkey in times of need. Polish rescue teams are already operating successfully in earthquake-ravaged Turkey. pic.twitter.com/OD4sSFD0HN
– Observation of New Europe (@new_observation) February 8, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that 23 million people “may be exposed, including about five million vulnerable people”, having already said it fears “balances eight times greater than initial figures”.
The earthquake also caused the collapse of a total of 5,775 buildings, according to authorities.
Source: DN
