Istanbul – Covered in dust, but otherwise healthy, three-year-old Iida Gezin was rescued from the wreckage of an 8-story building on Tuesday, four days after 7 earthquakes battered her hometown Izmir in Turkey. It was the second dramatic rescue of a child in several days, but when the joy of getting the little girl alive kept hope alive for desperate families, it was filled with tragedy.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) / Handout / REUTERS
Rescuers at the scene said Gazegin survived as she lay next to a washing machine when she was rescued from the rubble as her apartment building collapsed. He said she smiled when she was found.
The video shows her asking for her mother as she was taken away in an ambulance, but the girl’s mother was one of the 105 people killed by the earthquake. Fidan Gijagin died in the wreckage of the same building, whose daughter had fled on Tuesday.
Turkish Gendarmerie / Handout / Reuters
The official death toll may still increase as there is an undetermined number of people still believed to be missing beneath the destroyed buildings in the hard-hit city.
Turkey’s deputy health minister said Gezin was in stable condition and his vital signs were normal.
More than 1,000 people were injured by the earthquake in Izmir, and rescue teams were still rushing to find any other survivors under the ruins of at least five apartment buildings in the city, which is Turkey’s third largest.
Family members gathered around the fallen buildings, expecting any sign of loved ones.
More than 100 people have been brought alive from 17 buildings across the city, where rescue operations began soon after the earthquake.
one more 3-year-old girl rescued after 65 years Monday under the rubble of a separate apartment building. She is reunited with her mother and twin sisters, who survive the wreck. His brother died.
Istanbul Fire Authority / Handout / Anadolu Agency / Getty
Some pets also survived the collapse of their homes. Firefighters on Tuesday recovered four kittens from the same building where Gezin was found, tweeted Izmir Meyer.
But despite the survival stories, the earthquake has devastated many families. The body of 29-year-old dental assistant Yishim Amir was recovered from the same destroyed building on Monday.
Fighting tears, his mother Sibel Suruk told CBS News on Saturday that the family was clinging to Hope, “praying that he will come alive.”
About 8,000 search and rescue personnel and volunteers and 25 rescue dogs were deployed in the area to assist in the aftermath of the earthquake.
More than 5,000 people were living in tents, as at least 58 buildings either collapsed or were severely damaged.
Many were simply horrified to return to their homes amidst strong aftershocks. More than 1,000 aftershocks were recorded as of Monday after the initial temple on Friday.
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