Türkiye-Syria earthquake: Have a terrible time in the rubble with the newborn

The Dhaka Times Desk A week has already passed since the terrible earthquake in Turkey-Syria killed thousands. In between, stories have emerged of the newborn's harrowing time in the rubble and 'miraculous' rescue.

When Nekla Kamuz gave birth to her second son on January 27, she named him Yagiz, which means 'brave'. Exactly 10 days later, at 4:17 a.m. local time, Nekla was feeding her son inside her home in southern Turkey's Hatay province. Shortly thereafter, they were buried under the rubble. Nekla and her family lived on the second floor of a modern 5-story building in Samandag town.

He said, 'It is a beautiful building and he felt safe there. Little did he know that morning that the area would be so torn apart by the earthquake, buildings at every turn toppled and destroyed. She said, when the earthquake started, I wanted to go to my husband who was in another room and he also wanted the same. But when he tried to approach me with our other son, the wardrobe fell on top of them. It was simply impossible for them to move then.'

Nekla said, 'When the earthquake took a terrible form, the wall collapsed. The house was shaking violently and the building was shifting. When the shaking stopped, I didn't realize that I had fallen one floor down. I shouted their names but got no response.' The 33-year-old woman found herself lying with her baby on her chest. They narrowly escaped being crushed by a large slab of concrete thanks to the wardrobe lying next to him. They were in this situation for about four days.

Events of the first day

Nekla was trapped under the debris wearing her house clothes. He could see nothing but a faint blackness. So he has to rely on his other senses to understand what is happening around him. To his relief he kept repeating that Yagis was still breathing. The dust makes it hard to breathe at first, but after a while everything calms down. He was warm inside the rubble. He felt a child's toy buried under his body, but he was in no position to lift himself up and take it out for relief. Apart from the wardrobe, the soft skin of her newborn son and the clothes they wore, she could feel nothing but concrete and rubble. But from a distance he heard voices. He tried to shout for help and banged on the wardrobe.

'Who are you? Can anyone hear what?' He was calling like this. When that didn't work, he picked up small pieces of rubble lying next to him and used them to prop up the wardrobe. Thought it might sound louder. But he was afraid to hit its surface because of the forceful push in case it collapsed on him again! Still he did not get any response. Nekla realized that there was no possibility of anyone coming. He said, 'Thinking about this, I panicked.'

Busy life

ধ্বংসস্তূপের নিচে অন্ধকারে নেকলা সময়ে সময়ে জ্ঞানও হারিয়ে ফেলেন। তার জীবনটা তো এমন হওয়ার কথায় ছিল না। ‘আপনি অনেক কিছু পরিকল্পনা করেন যখন আপনার একটি নতুন বাচ্চা হয় ও তারপর… হঠাৎ আপনি ধ্বংসস্তূপের নিচে চাপা পড়ে গেলেন,’ তিনি মন্তব্য করেন। তবুও, তিনি জানতেন যে, তাকে ইয়াগিজের দেখাশোনা করতেই হবে এবং ওইটুকু জায়গায় তাকে বুকের দুধ খাওয়াতে সক্ষম হন। তবে নিজের জন্য কোনো পানি বা কোনো খাবার পাননি তিনি। হতাশায় তিনি তার নিজের বুকের দুধ পান করার ব্যর্থ চেষ্টাও করেছিলেন।

Then the desired rescue

After more than 90 hours underground, Nekla heard a dog barking. He wondered whether he was dreaming or not. He hears dogs as well as humans. 'Are you okay? If yes, push once.' A man approaches the ruins and says this. 'Which apartment do you live in?' Rescuers began to carefully dig through the rubble in search of him. He still held Yagis. Suddenly the light of the torch shined on his eyes and the darkness disappeared. When the rescue team of the Istanbul Municipality Fire Department asked how old Yagiz was, Nekla could not confirm anything. He only knew that he was 10 days old at the time of the earthquake. After Yagiz was handed over to rescuers, Nekla was then carried away on a stretcher. There was a huge crowd in front of him. He didn't even recognize any faces. As he was taken to the ambulance, he was sure that his other son had also been rescued. According to the BBC.

Things to do to prevent Corona virus

# try to stay at home all the time.
# Follow the rules and use mask when going out for emergency.
# three-layer cloth mask can be washed if desired.
# wash clothes after coming home from outside. Or hang it without shaking for at least four hours.
# Wash hands thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) with soap or liquid before coming outside.
# plastic PPE or eyes, face, head must be washed thoroughly with detergent and dried after one use.
# Wear PPE made of cloth or clean as described.
# Use a head cap that completely covers the hair.
# Those who have sneeze cough should follow all the rules promulgated by the government. Also, wash hands as directed before and after handling food items, keys, switches, mice, remote controls, mobiles, watches, computer desks, TVs, etc. and after using the bathroom. Those who have dry hands use Moisture after washing their hands. Soap or hand liquid can be used. Why can this virus remain in the crackle (cracked part) of dry hands? Avoid using highly alkaline soaps or detergents.