(LifeSiteNews) — Despite the devastation and destruction wreaked by the recent earthquake in Turkey, a baby’s smile is bringing hope to those affected by the disaster.
On February 11, following the massive earthquake that devastated Turkey and parts of Syria on February 6 and which has claimed the lives of over 46,000 people in both countries collectively, a two-month-old baby girl was extracted from under piles of rubble in the city of İskenderun, in the province of Hatay in Turkey. Videos circulating on social media show the child happy and healthy, laughing and smiling despite the tragedy surrounding her.
READ: Statue of Our Lady remains untouched by Turkish earthquake despite surrounding devastation
“2-months-old baby rescued from the rubble 128 hours after the earthquake in #Turkey,” reads a tweet from Anil Kumar Verma of NewsNation.
2-months-old baby rescued from the rubble 128 hours after the earthquake in#Turkey.#earthquakeinturkey #earthquakes #TurkeySyriaEarthquake #TurkeyEarthquake #Turkiye#TurkeyQuake #PrayForTuerkiye #PrayersForTurkey #Syria #Syrien #PrayforSyria #earthquake. pic.twitter.com/p2poVi1Ber
— Anil Kumar Verma (@AnilKumarVerma_) February 12, 2023
Other videos appear to show the baby being removed from rubble and transported to the hospital.
This baby was rescued with his family after 120 hours under the rubble in Turkey.
Don't lose the hope pic.twitter.com/MZHuTIe2U6— Asaad Sam Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) February 11, 2023
— Susanta Das (@Susanta52294337) February 12, 2023
According to the German news agency BILD, whose reporters visited the rescued infant in the hospital in Adana, the child is now under the care of a midwife. Tragically, according to the same news agency, the child’s parents have not yet been found.
On the morning of Monday, February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated southeastern Turkey — shown to be one of the most seismically active places in the world — and northwestern Syria, causing severe damage. Only a few hours later, another earthquake, only slightly smaller at 7.5 magnitude, struck Turkey.
The damage wrought by both earthquakes was so extensive that the following morning, the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a three-month state of emergency for the country. Nations from around the world have since pledged their support for Turkey, sending rescue teams and aid to help find any survivors.
Following such extensive damage, which has caused over 46,000 deaths in Syria and Turkey combined, rescuers have been hard put to find survivors before it becomes too late. Now, as it approaches two weeks since the initial disaster, rescue efforts are slowly ending. Out of the ten Turkish provinces hit by the earthquake, rescue missions are now remaining only in the worst-hit areas of two provinces, Hatay and Kahramanmaraş.
Amid tragedy and sorrow as tens of thousands of people mourn the loss of family and friends, every rescue provides a glimmer of hope, including the rescue of the young child who smiled and laughed with joy amid such calamity.
The child’s rescue, which occurred more than five days after the earthquake struck, is remarkable considering her young age and the fact that many humans would not survive so long.
In an interview with CNN, University College in London professor of disasters and health Ilan Kelman said that although people have been able to survive for a period of time after an earthquake, in general, to survive as long as the baby girl did “is unusual,” especially considering that most people can only survive three days without water.
“Fundamentally, our bodies can be resilient, but a lot comes down to sheer luck,” he said.