KAHRAMANMARAS: A teenage girl was pulled alive from the rubble in Turkiye on Thursday more than 10 days after a devastating earthquake hit the region, but such rescues have become increasingly rare, leaving sorrow and anger to mount as hope dies.
The 17-year-old was extracted from the ruins of a collapsed apartment bloc in Turkiye’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province, broadcaster TRT Haber reported, 248 hours since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the dead of night on Feb 6.
Footage showed her being carried on a stretcher to an ambulance covered with a gold-coloured thermal blanket.
The quake killed at least 36,187 in southern Turkiye, while authorities in neighbouring Syria have reported 5,800 deaths — a figure that has changed little in days.
UN launches $1bn appeal for quake victims
While several people were found alive in Turkiye on Wednesday, the number of rescues has dwindled significantly. Neither Turkiye nor Syria have said how many people are still missing.
On Thursday, the United Nations launched an appeal for $1 billion to help victims in Turkiye of last week’s catastrophic earthquake that killed thousands of people and left millions more in desperate need of aid.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the funds would provide humanitarian relief for three months to 5.2 million people.
The money would “allow aid organisations to rapidly scale up vital support,” including in the areas of food security, protection, education, water and shelter, he added.
