Mother, son pulled alive from rubble as rescuers race against time in Türkiye

By Ahmet Kaplan and Fecri Barlik

DIYARBAKIR, Türkiye (AA) - As rescue efforts continue in quake-hit areas of southern and southeastern Türkiye, a mother and her son were pulled to safety after being trapped under the rubble.

Sebahat Varli, 32, and her 10-year-old son Serhat were pulled out alive from a collapsed building in the Diyarbakir province by rescuers after spending 101 hours under the debris.

They were then taken to a nearby hospital.

Over 18,300 people were killed and 74,000 injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

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

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz