‘Hours passed like years,’ survivor recounts horrific Türkiye quake

KIRIKKALE, Türkiye (AA) – Ender Kerem was trapped under the debris of his collapsed house for 44 hours after an earthquake struck southern Türkiye.

“I was on the sofa, I immediately curled up at the edge of the sofa like a cat. Then I prayed to God and waited.

“Then a column (of the house) broke, or something else happened, when I raised my hand, it touched the ceiling.

“My room for movement was very limited. I could move in an area of one square meter,” said Kerem, a resident of Kirikhan district of Hatay province, one of the worst hit areas.

“It was dark everywhere. I tried to make my voice heard but I couldn’t. The hours passed like years. Then I dug through (the rubble) with my hands like a mole. I went somewhere near the window. I tried to make a sound there, it didn’t work. I came back to my place.”

Kerem, 52, said that after the second quake there was no room left to move and he constantly tried to make sound with the piece of wood he found in the debris.

“It’s the miracle of God, exactly 44 hours later, the rescue team heard my voice and pulled me out. On the day of the earthquake, I was alone at home, my children were out of town.”

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of fewer than 10 hours.

At least 18,342 people were killed and 74,242 others injured in the twin earthquakes which hit the southern parts of Türkiye which were also felt in nearby countries, including Syria and Lebanon.

Türkiye has declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces hit by the earthquakes.