Turkey-Syria earthquake: Man rescued alive from rubble after 12 days

Twelve days after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria that claimed tens of thousands of lives, a 45-year-old man was pulled out from the rubble, alive and breathing. He was immediately sent to the hospital for treatment. Turkish rescuers covered him with a golden thermal jacket and whisked him away by an ambulance for treatment.

The man has been identified as Hakan Yasinoglu. Even after almost 12 days, which is around 278 hours, Hakan was miraculously alive under the rubble.

However, the mood on the ground seemed somber, unlike other rescues, where teams rejoiced or applauded. Three other people including a 14-year-old boy were rescued safely late Thursday and early Friday. Similarly, Turkish rescuers had pulled out a 17-year-old girl and a woman in her 20s out of the rubble a day back.

278. saat mucizesi!

Hatay'da 278 saat sonra Hakan Yasinoğlu sağ olarak kurtarıldı. pic.twitter.com/O8excnDmi9

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) February 17, 2023

Meanwhile, rescue teams have been working round the clock to find survivors under the rubble, although their numbers have dropped in the past few days. The hopes of finding more survivors have largely faded.

On the other hand, the death toll has exceeded 41,000 due to the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria. On the other hand, the survivors are trying to survive amid the freezing cold without food, water and toilets.