Although it’s been a week since the devastating quakes in Turkey and Syria, people are still being rescued from the rubble. Survival is actually almost impossible – unless you somehow get water.
A week after the devastating earthquake, emergency services in Turkey recovered a 13-year-old boy alive after 182 hours under rubble. They carried the boy to the ambulance in Hatay province on a stretcher, as pictures from state broadcaster TRT showed. The broadcaster also reported on a girl in Adiyaman province who was buried under rubble for 178 hours after the deadly earthquake and was rescued.
Rescue teams in Hatay province had previously freed a 7-year-old boy and a 62-year-old after 163 hours under the rubble, according to the state news agency Anadolu. Survivors who are now found must have had access to liquid – such as rainwater, snow or other sources. Normally, a person can go without water for about 72 hours, after which it becomes life-threatening.
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 quake. The number of dead is now more than 37,500, including at least 5,900 in Syria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 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”.
