Teenager rescued from rubble in Türkiye 10 days after quake

Addis Ababa, February 16, 2023 (FBC) – A teenage girl was pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey on Thursday more than 10 days after an earthquake that has killed more than 42,000 people in the country and neighbouring Syria, as families of those still missing await news of their fate.

The 17-year-old was rescued in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province, broadcaster TRT Haber reported, 248 hours since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck in the dead of night on Feb. 6.

Footage showed her being carried on a stretcher to an ambulance covered with a gold coloured thermal blanket.

The number of people killed by the deadliest earthquake in Turkey’s modern history has risen to 36,187, authorities said. In Syria, where the earthquake has compounded a humanitarian crisis caused by 12 years of war, the reported death is toll 5,800 – a figure that has changed little in days.

While several people were also found alive in Turkey on Wednesday, reports of such rescues have become increasingly infrequent. Authorities in Turkey and Syria have not announced how many people are still missing.

Millions of people are in need of humanitarian aid after being left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures. Reuters