3-year-old rescued alive 91hrs after deadly earthquake

A three-year-old girl was rescued alive from a collapsed apartment building in Turkey on Tuesday after 91 hours.

A deadly earthquake centred in the Aegean Sea hit both Turkey and Greece on Friday.
The child was extracted safely from a building in the city of Izmir, according to reports.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca identified the girl as Ayda Gezgin, sharing footage of her talking to a health officer in an ambulance, disaster management agency AFAD reported.

“A new miracle,” state broadcaster TRT described her rescue, which comes almost 30 hours after the rescue of another girl of the same age from the wreckage in Izmir city.

Narrating the incident, rescuer Ahmet Celik said, “I heard a child’s voice.

“I put my head through the hole, she just kept saying she was very thirsty and requested water and ayran, a yoghurt beverage.”

The girl is in good condition in the hospital, state news agency Anadolu quoted Environment and Urbanisation Minister Murat Kurum as saying in Izmir.

So far, the death toll in Izmir rose to 102, while as many as 8,000 rescuers continued their efforts at four collapsed buildings.

TRT added that rescue efforts were underway for the mother who is also believed to be trapped, while the father was safe outside when the quake hit.