Turkish rescue teams managed to pull two people alive from the rubble 11 days after a devastating earthquake in an operation that a family member describes as a “true miracle”.
Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, were found overnight in Antakya around 260 hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, according to Reuters.
As Avci was carried from the scene on a stretcher, his newborn baby was shown on a video call with his parents, adds Reuters.
“I had completely lost all hope. This is a true miracle,” her father reportedly said.
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Search and rescue teams continue the rescue operation on February 16, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. (Images by Riza Ozel/dia via Getty Images)
Debris removal efforts continue in Antakya, Turkey, on Thursday, February 16. Two more survivors were found there overnight. (Erhan Sevenler/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
“They gave me back my son,” he added. “I saw the wreckage and I thought no one could get out of there alive.”
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A building leans diagonally in Antakya, Turkey, after the earthquake on February 6. (Erhan Sevenler/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
As of Friday, more than 43,000 dead in Turkey and Syria from the earthquake.
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Rescuers carry the body of a victim pulled from the rubble after the deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, on February 17, 2023. (Reuters/Nir Elias)
Turkish authorities report more than 38,000 deaths and fear the death toll will rise as around 264,000 apartments are believed to have been destroyed in the disaster.
More than 5,800 deaths have been reported in Syria, according to Reuters.
