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'What day are we on?': Woman extricated in Türkiye on 10th day asks rescuer

Rescues of Ela and her two children from debris come 228 hours after first earthquake on February 6 hit her apartment building in southern Hatay province.

Ela and her two children were saved in Hatay, one of the 11 southern provinces hit hard by the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes.
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Ela and her two children were saved in Hatay, one of the 11 southern provinces hit hard by the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes.

First responders have extricated a woman and her two children — a boy and a girl — from a collapsed apartment building in southern Hatay province, a full 228 hours after the first 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Türkiye in the early hours of February 6. 

All three were taken to a hospital.

Rescuer Mehmet Eryilmaz said on Wednesday the woman, named Ela, asked what day it was when she was pulled from the wreckage.

"First, I held her hand," Eryilmaz told Anadolu Agency about reaching her in the rubble. 

"We talked, chatted and calmed (her) down. After that, we continued our work. ... We are very happy; it's the fifth life we saved."

READ MORE: Elderly among survivors rescued nine days after Türkiye earthquakes

The earthquakes that killed more than 41,000 people in southern Türkiye and northern Syria produced more grieving and suffering along with extraordinary rescues and appeals for aid.

Eryilmaz, who is a member of a team trained to perform mine rescues, added: "She asked for water in the first place but we did not give anything before the medical teams intervened. She asked, 'What day are we on?'"

Health worker Ali Parlas, who treated Ela and her son and daughter, said the three were dehydrated but in reasonable condition.

The children's names are Meysam and Ali, Eryilmaz said.

READ MORE: Türkiye quakes: List of ‘miracle’ babies rescued from deepest ruins

Türkiye makes more arrests

The rescues were exceptions to the grim work of locating the bodies of the remaining dead. 

The first earthquake and a 7.6 magnitude quake nine hours later destroyed thousands of buildings. 

Survivors and building experts have said shoddy construction contributed to the massive death toll.

A number of new arrests have been made in Türkiye over collapsed buildings in the quake zone. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has vowed to take action against negligence and flaws in the buildings. 

On Wednesday, Türkiye arrested 15 of the 39 detained suspects, including contractors, for alleged negligence in buildings that collapsed in southeastern Diyarbakir province. 

Dozens others have been detained or arrested in connection with "flawed" constructions in the disaster region.

READ MORE: Türkiye makes flurry of new arrests over collapsed buildings in quake zone

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies
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