Woman dies after giving birth under earthquake rubble in Syria

Source: Greek City Times

As rescue teams, including Greeks, continue to fight a superhuman battle to find those trapped under the debris, there are so many shocking stories that have been documented after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria left thousands dead.

One such story is from Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

A woman, whose identity has not yet been revealed, gave birth while trapped in the debris, according to a Twitter user who shared the relevant videos. The rescuers, who eventually reached her after an immense effort, discovered that she had died.

The newborn, however, was found and retrieved alive, highlighting the victory of life over death.

Newborn baby found under the rubble in Aleppo, #Syria.

The building collapsed after 7.8 magnitude #earthquake jolted #Turkiye & Syria.

The mother of the baby was under the rubble. She died after he was born.#Turkey #TurkeyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/pkkjXNuqkc

— Ali Javed (@AliJaved29) February 6, 2023

The feeling was similar in the city of Kahramanmaraş, one of the areas severely affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Rescuers managed to retrieve alive a 24-year-old woman who remained trapped under the rubble for 27 hours.

Kahramanmaraş’ın Trabzon Caddesi’nde yıkılan 7 katlı Anadolu Apartmanı enkazından 27 saat sonra Rümeysa Yalçınkaya kurtarıldı. pic.twitter.com/W2gy29vrXG

— Yekvücut (@yekvucutcom) February 7, 2023

Trabzon Caddesi'ndeki 7 katlı Anadolu Apartmanı'nın enkazından 24 yaşındaki Rümeysa Yalçınkaya, 27 saat sonra sağ çıkarıldı.
Hayati tehlikesi bulunmayan Yalçınkaya, kontrol amacıyla hastaneye sevk edildi #DevletMilletElele pic.twitter.com/2I5hf4rrIC

— Serdar Bozbeyli (@SerdarBozbeyli) February 7, 2023

After heavy rain and significant snow in southern Turkey and northern Syria, it will generally get drier and sunnier through this week.

Some snow showers are still possible on Tuesday but with colder air digging in, freezing conditions will cause even more concern.

In Gaziantep, where the first quake struck, it will be around 4-6C by day - but plummeting overnight to -7C. It could be as low as -15C in the towns and villages towards the mountains.

It won't be as cold in Syria, but no more than 10 or 11C by day and -3C by night.

In Turkey, the number of people who have died because of these earthquakes has risen to 3,381, according to the country's disaster authority.

Orhan Tatar, an official at the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), says a further 20,426 have been injured and 5,775 buildings collapsed.

The new count brings the combined death toll in Turkey and neighboring Syria to 4,890.

This number is likely to keep rising.

Turkey's disaster and emergencies agency AFAD says 2,660 personnel from 65 countries have been sent to help in the search and rescue operation.

Together with the Turkish rescuers, 13,740 people have already been assigned to work in the disaster area. They are using 629 cranes and 360 vehicles.

The AFAD also says an air bridge has been established, and 146 aid-delivering sorties have already been made.

In total, 300,000 blankets and 41,504 family tents have been delivered, along with heaters and kitchen sets.

Rescuers are racing against the clock with several factors in their way now, a critical care expert said.

The lack of water and oxygen are critical barriers to survival, said Dr. Richard Edward Moon of Duke University.

Each adult loses up to 1.2 liters of water daily.

"That's urine, exhale, water vapor and perspiration if there is any. At the point where eight or so liters has been lost, that's when a person becomes critically ill," said Dr. Moon, who was speaking on BBC Newsday.

A new strong earthquake is now reported in central Turkey.

The US Geological Survey says a 5.5 magnitude tremor was at a depth of 10km (6 miles) near the town of Golbasi.

Meanwhile, the France-based European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) put the strength of the quake near Golbasi at 5.6, adding that it was at a depth of 2km.

Both agencies said the tremor happened at 03:13 GMT on Tuesday. They provided no further details.

Red Crescent President Kerem Kınık warned people not to drive their cars to earthquake zones to donate relief supplies.

“Vehicles fell on 50m fault fracture on the roads. There is snow and ice on the roads," he said.

He asked people to instead donate food and supplies such as blankets, coats and boots to Red Crescent, which will distribute them, instead.

The group is also calling for blood donations, to help save the wounded.