“Now I believe in miracles,” said the head of the International Search and Rescue Team operating in the area.
A woman was pulled out alive today in Kirihan, Turkey by a group of German rescuers, after 104 hours of being crushed by the debris of her collapsed house.
German rescuers carefully lifted 40-year-old Zeynep Kahraman, to place her on a stretcher and transfer her to the ambulance, while the gathered crowd erupted in applause.
“It took the rescue team more than 50 hours to go through the rubble and reach the woman,” the German NGO ISAR Germany wrote on Twitter.
The German team managed to keep the woman alive by providing her with water and fruit juice using a hose. He also kept in touch with her thanks to a small well.
➡️🇹🇷 KORKMA – HAB KEINE ANGST – Unser Team arbett jetzt schon seit über 50 Stunden daran, eine verschüttete Frau im türkischen #kırıkhan aus einem eingestürzten Haus zu befreien. Über einen kleinen Schacht wird der Kontakt zu der Frau gehalten. WIR GEBEN NICHT AUF!
##earthquake pic.twitter.com/2MKoDujWaT— ISAR Germany (@ISAR_GERMANY) February 10, 2023
“The rescue was very complicated because there was no space,” NGO spokesman Stefan Heine told AFP, describing the rescuers’ work “centimeter by centimeter with the help of a hydraulic hammer.”
“The woman remained for a long time face down next to her relatives who were killed.”
“This operation was unique for us as well,” added this member of the NGO, which specializes in helping victims of natural disasters. “Never until today have we kept in touch with a person who is depressed for so long.”
This woman lasted more than the 72-hour limit, which is considered critical by experts for finding survivors under the rubble.
“Now I believe in miracles,” said Stephen Bayer, the head of the International Search and Rescue Team operating in the area.
“You see people crying and hugging each other. It’s such a relief that this woman in such circumstances came out in such good shape. It’s an absolute miracle.”
More than 90% of earthquake survivors are rescued within three days of the disaster. However, this duration can vary significantly depending on weather conditions, the frequency of aftershocks and the immediacy of assistance.
The total death toll from the earthquake in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria was 21,000 this morning.
Hundreds of thousands more people have been left homeless and without food in polar cold conditions.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
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.
