Turkey Quake: Newborn Baby Rescued From Rubble; Death Toll Soars Over 9,000

Amid the hit of one of the deadliest earthquake hit in Turkey and Syria, the death toll has reached more than 9,000 people, according to the rescuers working against the time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Tremors that inflicted more suffering on a border area, already plagued by conflict, leaving people on the streets burning debris to try to stay warm as international aid began to arrive. More than 30,000 people have been injured, and authorities expect the death toll to continue to climb as rescue workers race to pull survivors from the rubble in cities and towns across a wide area.

Miracle survival of an infant in Syria

However, a miracle was seen during the rescue mission as a newborn baby was pulled out alive from rubble in Syria, still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother who died in Monday’s tragic earthquake.

According to a media report, a relative, Khalil al-Suwadi said, “We heard a voice while we were digging.”

“We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord [intact], so we cut it and my cousin took her to the hospital,” the relative added.

Speaking to the media, a local activist said that the child’s mother gave birth under the rubble and that she died before being rescued. The newborn is the sole survivor of her immediate family, the rest of them were killed in the rebel-held town of Jindayris, the report added.

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Countries pledge to help Turkey, Syria

Ahead of the quake, dozens of nations including the US, India, China and the Gulf states have pledged to help the affected countries. Also, several search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air.

On Wednesday, India sent IAF’s C17 plane medical facility with 30 beds to Turkey from Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad. It has a 54-member medical team which includes critical care specialists and surgeons. Also, It has X-ray machines, ventilators, OT and other necessary equipment.

According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the help includes the medical team of the Indian Army as well as medical and other equipment to set up a medical facility.

People are freezing amid harsh conditions

Taking notes from the harsh weather conditions, Ali Sagiroglu, a resident of the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, “For two days we haven’t seen the state around here… Children are freezing from the cold.”

A winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads — some of them damaged by the quake — almost impassable, resulting in traffic jams that stretch for kilometres in some regions.

The cold rain and snow are a risk both for people forced from their homes — who took refuge in mosques, schools or even bus shelters — and survivors buried under debris.

WHO on medical emergency

“It is now a race against time,” said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“We have activated the WHO network of emergency medical teams to provide essential health care for the injured and most vulnerable,” he added.