Emergency teams have already rescued at least three children from the rubble left by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria early this Monday (6), Sunday night (5) in Brazil.
“Let’s get out of here, your chocolate is on me,” said the professional to one of the children, according to the Haber news channel. The boy was in a building in Yurt Mahallesi in the city of Adana in southern Turkey.
In broadcast by the same station, a reporter carried a child through the streets after recording an aftershock live.
Another child was rescued from the wreckage of a building in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa.
In Azaz, a city north of rebel-held Aleppo in Syria, a rescuer carried a child with injuries after a building collapsed.
The earthquake has hit remote areas in both Turkey and Syria, and rescue difficulties are great. Authorities recorded more than 50 aftershocks in the first 10 hours after the initial one. Other events of the type will occur during the day.
To the AFP news agency, Tulin Akkayaafi says he had just woken up when he felt the tremor and ran out into the street. “I’m very scared. I felt the earthquake a lot because I live on the top floor,” said the 30-year-old housewife.
“We ran out in a panic. It was almost like the early morning earthquake. Now I can’t go back to my apartment and I don’t know what will happen,” the woman said. Many buildings are in ruins in her city, Diyarbakir. The region is home to millions of people fleeing war and poverty in Syria.
The second tremor struck just as survivors began to return to their homes to collect belongings that could help them get through the cold night. Most of the region was left without gas and electricity, and the weather service forecast rain and hail in southeastern Turkey for much of the week.
“It’s a seismic zone, so I’m used to tremors,” said reporter Melisa Salman, who lives in Kahramanmaras. The city, 60 km from the Syrian border, was the epicenter of the earthquake. “But it’s the first time we’ve experienced something like this,” said the 23-year-old. “We thought it was the apocalypse.”
Despite repeated tremors, rescue teams continue to look for victims, often with the help of the local population. In total, three children were found in the rubble of a dilapidated building in Kahramanmaras.
“I managed to save three people, but I also found two bodies. I can’t go back to my house. I’ll stay if I’m needed,” said a 35-year-old man who went to help in the ruins of a building in Diyarbakir.
There are establishments, such as gyms and event rooms that are welcoming people who cannot return to their homes in the city, informs an AFP agency correspondent.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
