Turkey earthquake: Two-year-old pulled from rubble as death toll rises to 38
Rescuers have saved 45 people since 6.8-magnitude tremor hit Elazig province on Friday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A mother and her two-year-old daughter have been pulled alive from a collapsed building in Turkey more than a day after an earthquake killed at least 38 people.
Ayse Yildiz and her child Nusra had spent 28 hours trapped in the rubble in the eastern city of Elazig following Friday’s 6.8-magnitude quake.
Rescue teams heard their cries several hours before they were able to reach them, with night-time temperatures dropping as low as -5C.
A total of 45 survivors had been rescued by Sunday morning, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
The agency also confirmed that the death toll had risen to 38 with more than 1,600 injured, of whom 13 were in intensive care, although none were in critical condition.
More than 700 aftershocks rocked the region as 3,500 rescuers searched for more survivors with the help of 19 dogs and five drones. A 4.3-magnitude earthquake also hit neighbouring Malatya province on Sunday morning.
“It has been around 36 hours [since the earthquake], but we are still in the hours where we can hope,” Turkey’s minister of the interior, Suleyman Soylu, told a news conference in Elazig.
At least 76 buildings were demolished and 645 seriously damaged, according to a survey of the damage in the provinces of Elazig and Malatya.
More than 4m Turkish lira (about £500,000) of emergency aid has been sent to the governors of the region, along with more than 7,500 tents, 11,500 beds and 18,720 blankets.
The Turkish Red Crescent has sent thousands of food parcels to the area, as well as blankets, beds, heaters, tents and catering vehicles.
During a visit to Elazig and Malatya, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that steel-framed houses would be built to provide housing for displaced residents.
“Turkey has begun to heal the wounds of this great disaster in unity, togetherness and coming together,” he said.
Additional reporting by agencies
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments