Teacher rescued from rubble over 200 hours after quake - as baby survives falling five floors

Teacher rescued from rubble over 200 hours after quake – as baby survives falling five floors

Feb 14, 2023

Arriving by helicopter at hospital in the Turkish city of Adana, Emine Akgul is incredibly lucky to be alive.

The 26-year-old teacher was rescued from a collapsed building more than 200 hours after the earthquake struck.

She was found in a six-storey building, where many people worked carefully but quickly to remove her from the concrete in Hatay’s capital of Antakya.

Deputy chief doctor of Adana City Hospital, Nursah Keskin, said: “She might be suffering from tissue damage due to hunger and thirst. Our patients will most likely suffer from renal failure and that’s why we’ll have to monitor her in our intensive care unit.”

And it’s not the only miracle to happen at this hospital. Eight-month-old Birce, who fell five floors, is alive and recovering with her mother Nilay by her side.

Turkey earthquake latest: Disaster becomes worst in country’s modern history as death toll grows

Her leg is broken but doctors believe Birce will make a full recovery.

Nilay recalled: “When I called out to my children, I didn’t hear any response. I didn’t want to get out alive then. I thought, how will I survive this if my family are no more?”

Birce and her eldest sister did make it. But in the rubble, Nilay found the body of her other child.

In Antakya, the burden of the search is heavy.

An attempted rescue of a couple is a success and the race is on to find their 26-year-old son.

Rescue worker Eser Karatas said that scratching on the walls meant he and a team from across the world could locate the couple who were buried under the debris.

He tells us: “We realised that somebody was there, still alive and talking to us.”

He went on: “You don’t hear sounds anymore. After three or four days you don’t hear sounds but you say, if you hear my voice, can you hit against the wall with something, any kind of noise”.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

But 24 hours on, and after an agonising wait, a black bodybag is being carried carefully down to the ground so relatives can identify the body.

Their grief is indescribable and their screams harrowing, as their hope turns to horror.

The loss here is as cruel as it is coarse and yet still they search, looking for any little detail that may help them salvage life and at the very least honour death.

Read Entire Article