Turkish rescue crews have managed to pull two people alive from the rubble 11 days after a devastating earthquake in an operation one family member is describing as a “true miracle.”
Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, were found overnight in Antakya around 260 hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, according to Reuters.
As Avci was being carried away from the scene in a stretcher, he was shown in a video call with his parents his newborn baby, Reuters adds.
“I had completely lost all hope. This is a true miracle,” his father reportedly said.
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Search and rescue teams continue the rescue operation on Feb. 16, 2023, in Hatay, Turkey. (Riza Ozel / dia images via Getty Images)
Debris removal efforts continue in Antakya, Turkey, on Thursday, Feb. 16. Two more survivors were found there overnight. (Erhan Sevenler/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
“They gave me my son back,” he added. “I saw the wreckage and I thought nobody could be saved alive from there.”
UN OFFICIAL SAYS SYRIAN DEATH TOLL FROM EARTHQUAKE IS LIKELY TO RISE
A building leans diagonally in Antakya, Turkey, following the earthquake on Feb. 6. (Erhan Sevenler/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
As of Friday, more than 43,000 are reported dead in Turkey and Syria from the earthquake.
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Rescuers carry the body of a victim taken out of the rubble in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Reuters/Nir Elias)
Turkish officials are reporting over 38,000 deaths and fear the toll will rise as around 264,000 apartments are believed to have been destroyed in the disaster.
More than 5,800 deaths have been reported in Syria, according to Reuters.
