The death toll from the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria is now more than 35,000, and the UN even fears 50,000 deaths. After all, a week later, people are still being rescued. A ten-year-old boy’s first wish is fruit gums.
Even seven days after the devastating earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area that killed tens of thousands, survivors are still being rescued from collapsed buildings in a race against time. After 163 hours under the rubble, rescue teams in Hatay province freed a seven-year-old boy and a 62-year-old girl late Sunday evening, according to the state news agency Anadolu.
A 45-year-old man who had been buried for 162 hours was rescued in Kahramanmaras province. During the rescue work, Polat told rescuers that he had banged on the stove next to him, allegedly making noises to draw attention to himself. A ten-year-old boy had to wait 158 ??hours for rescue in the city of Adiyaman. His first wish, to get fruit gums, touched the hearts of the rescuers.
A week ago early Monday morning, the first 7.7-magnitude tremor shook the region at 2:17 a.m. CET, followed hours later by a second severe 7.6-magnitude tremor. The number of confirmed deaths is now more than 35,000, including at least 5,900 in Syria according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths even expected up to 50,000 deaths on Sunday. Thousands are still missing.
Meanwhile, Argentinian football star Lionel Messi also stood up for the victims. He asked for donations to the UN children’s fund UNICEF via Instagram. “These are very sad days for the thousands of children and their families affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. My heart goes out to them,” the 35-year-old wrote. UNICEF has been in the region from the start to protect the children. The help of his followers is “very valuable”.
