Tears of joy as more survivors found three days after quake
Emergency workers in Türkiye have rescued a mother with her two children after they had spent about 78 hours under the earthquake rubble.
- World
- Published Date: 02:49 | 09 February 2023
- Modified Date: 09:27 | 10 February 2023
Television pictures showed on Thursday how helpers carried the woman and children on a stretcher and in slings to the ambulance amid applause from bystanders.
They had been holding out under the rubble of their house in Kahramanmaras province. The rescuers embraced one another, and one of them told broadcaster CNN Türk that he was happy about the "small success."
They had worked for 15 hours to free the family, he said.
The rescue workers are fighting against time - the chances of finding survivors diminish with every hour that passes since the earthquake. The Turkish government says more than 100,000 helpers are in action. They are supported by search dogs.
On Wednesday night, around 68 hours after the first and biggest earthquake, a baby was rescued from a collapsed building in Hatay province, state broadcaster TRT World reported. A few hours later, a man was found alive under the rubble of the same house. He's believed to be the child's father.
Three more people were rescued from the rubble of a ruined house in the centre of the city of Gaziantep on Thursday morning. Rejoicing broke out among the helpers, many had tears of joy in their eyes. "We hope for more miracles," said a reporter.
During the night, the rough guideline mark of 72 hours had been exceeded, after which the chances of survival of buried people are considered to be extremely low. But many rescuers and relatives are not giving up hope.
Temperatures that are well below freezing are further diminishing the chances of more success stories from the rescue teams. So far, despite the difficult conditions, rescuers in Türkiye have managed to recover about 8,000 people alive.