Woman Rescued From Rubble 170 Hours After Turkey Earthquake

On Monday, February 13, rescuers pulled a woman alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Turkey, a week after a devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. 40-year-old Sibel Kaya was rescued in southern Gaziantep province, around 170 hours after the first earthquake struck the region.

Rescue workers in Kahramanmaras also made contact with three survivors in the ruins of the building. The survivors are believed to be a mother, her daughter, and a baby.

Woman Rescued From Rubble In Turkey

Mustafa, a seven-year-old boy, and Nafize Yilmaz, 62, were also rescued after being trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings for nearly seven days. Both of them had been trapped for 163 hours before they were rescued late on Sunday.

Rescue teams from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus pulled a man alive from a collapsed building in Turkey after 160 hours on Sunday.

A father and daughter, a toddler, and a 10-year-old girl were also among the survivors who were rescued from the rubble of the collapsed buildings on Sunday.

The death toll in both countries rose above 33,000 on Sunday and continues to increase, with the chances of finding more survivors growing more remote. This was the deadliest earthquake in Turkey since 1939.

According to Tukey's disaster agency, more than 32,000 people from Turkish organisations were working on the search and rescue operation, along with 8,294 international rescuers.

However, rescue teams in many areas reported a lack of sensors and advanced equipment, forcing them to carefully dig through the rubble with shovels or their hands.

A convey with supplies for northwest Syria arrived via Turkey, but the UN's relief chief, Martin Griffiths, said much more was needed for the millions of people whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake. "We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned. Looking for international help that hasn’t arrived," Griffiths said on Twitter.

Supplies have been slow to arrive in Syria, where the healthcare system was ravaged by years of conflict. Also, parts of the country remain under the control of the rebels battling the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which is under western sanctions.

However, a 10-truck UN convoy crossed into northwest Syria via the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, carrying shelter kits, plastic sheeting, rope, blankets, mattresses, and carpets.

Suggested Reading: Humanity At Its Best: Two Turkish Nurses Protected Babies At Neonatal Amid Earthquake