Illustrative photo – A man sits in the rubble of a building collapsed during an earthquake in the Turkish city of Antakya, February 12, 2023.
Ankara – Twelve days after the devastating earthquake in Turkey today in the city of Antakya in the south of the country, rescuers rescued three people alive from the ruins, including one child, who later died. According to local television, the mother, father and child spent 296 hours in the rubble of the apartment building. Reuters reported that the number of victims of earthquakes in Turkey has already risen to 40,642. The number is expected to continue to grow.
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Photogallery: Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
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“We heard screams when we were digging about an hour ago,” explained one of the rescuers about the discovery of the trio. The mother and father survived, but the child eventually died of dehydration. Two other children of this five-member Syrian family were also killed in the accident.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake destroyed around 264,000 apartments and many people are still missing. In neighboring Syria, the disaster claimed at least 5,800 lives. The total number of victims thus exceeded 46,400. But as Reuters notes, Syria has not updated the death toll for several days, so it is likely to be higher.
The earthquake left millions of people homeless, many of whom are now sleeping in tents, mosques, schools or cars. International aid is pouring into the affected regions; but not always fast enough. Therefore, the World Food Program (WFP) today called on the authorities not to block access to the affected northwest of Syria.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, foreign rescue teams that went to the country last week are ending aid. The Czech rescue workers who rescued 78 dead and two alive people from the rubble in Turkey also returned home on Friday. They arrived in Turkey as one of the first international teams.
