Ercis, Turkey, Oct 26, 2011 / 14:58 pm
A 14-day-old baby was found alive amid the rubble of her home 46 hours after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey.
The baby was found in the arms of her mother, who also survived the quake but was trapped in her apartment. Rescuers found the mother clutching her baby as well as the baby’s grandmother, who also survived. There was no word on the whereabouts of the father, who was also in the building at the time the earthquake struck on Oct. 23.
Sevim Yigit, the baby’s grandmother, told Reuters, “I am overwhelmed, that’s all I can say. May God protect them.”
She added that the baby, named Azra, was born two weeks ago.
Rescue workers applauded as the baby was lifted out of the rubble, and family members quickly surrounded her as she was loaded into an ambulance.
A number of families were trapped in the building when it collapsed during the earthquake. “We were waiting for 48 hours,” said one teen, whose mother is still missing. “I hope my mother and my aunt are found as well,” he said.
The death toll from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake has risen to 459, with 1,352 injured. Over 2,000 buildings were destroyed, mostly in the city of Ercis, which has a population of 100,000.
Officials say hundreds are still missing.