Turkey: Mother, baby rescued 24 hours after quake

By Cankut Tasdan, Sukru Gunduz and Orhan Onur Gemici

ELAZIG, Turkey (AA) - A mother and her 2.5-year-old daughter were rescued 24 hours after a powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey.

The 6.8-magnitude quake shook Turkey's Elazig province late Friday. Tremors were also felt in neighboring countries including Syria and Georgia.

Death toll from the quake rose to 35 on Sunday with hundreds of others injured.

The mother and daughter were trapped under the debris of their house in Mustafa Pasa neighborhood.

Turkish gendarmes first rescued the daughter, Yusra Yildiz. Four hours later, the mother Ayse Yildiz was rescued.

The rescue operation was caught on camera.

“Do you hear me?” one team member asked and Ayse Yildiz said: “I do.”

“Please rescue me for God’s sake,” she whimpered, telling the rescuers about her child.

“I can see you,” she told her rescuer.

First, the child was rescued and carried in the arms of the rescuers.

“Your mother is coming,” one of them said trying to comfort the baby. “Come on, sweetheart.”