Firefighters rescue elderly man trapped in earthquake debris

By Dursun Ekrem Er

TOKAT, Türkiye (AA) – An elderly man was pulled out from the wreckage of a collapsed building on Wednesday, as search and rescue operation continues uninterruptedly in earthquake-hit region of southern Türkiye.

According to Tokat municipality, firefighters rescued 69-year-old Fahrettin Ozgil, who was trapped under the rubble for 57 hours in the Golbasi district of Adiyaman province.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Monday, which centered in the Kahramanmaras province and struck nine other provinces as well, has affected more than 13 million people.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

At least 8,574 people have been killed and 49,133 others injured in the quakes, while over 6,400 buildings are destroyed, according to Türkiye’s disaster agency AFAD. More than 96,000 rescuers are involved in search and relief efforts.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who inspected relief efforts in Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, said all resources have been mobilized and the state is working with all its means to help the affected people.

A state of emergency was declared in the affected regions, and seven days of national mourning is being observed in the country.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan