Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll climbs to 21,000 as teen found alive after 80 hours

As the earthquake death toll in Turkey and Syria surpasses 21,000 people, one teen has been rescued after being buried in rubble for 80 hours.

Melda Adtas, a 16 year old girl, was pulled out alive after being buried for 80 hours in a rare happy ending. Her father was overjoyed when she was found and broke down in tears.

“My dear, my dear! God bless you all!”

According to The Straits Times, the happy ending for the teen had the nation cheering after what has been a catastrophic natural disaster, with now 21,000 deaths.

The cutoff point for finding survivors in such a disaster is normally set at around 72 hours due to a human’s ability to live without food or water for around three days.

But, workers didn’t stop when they heard a sound from walls that signalled to them that the teen was still alive. It reportedly took them five hours to save her life.

Workers also found three others alive in the same building, just one floor above Melda. When they found Melda, she was stuck under a wall that had collapsed.

A man by the name of Suleyman led the rescue efforts after a group of Black Sea miners headed south to help.

His co-workers say Suleyman made it possible for the operation to be carried out. They furthered that he knew his way around in the dark and narrow spaces.

Once Melda was transported safely into the ambulance, many onlookers congratulated and hugged the rescuers. Many could not hold back their tears at the sight of a young girl being rescued despite so many others not making it.

One worker spoke of their resilience in finding survivors.

“We haven’t worked for nothing, we have pulled a girl from the rubble.”

Another spoke of their exhaustion and loss of time.

“What day is it?”

As the teen’s rescue has given many a reprise from the sadness and trauma surrounding the earthquake’s aftermath, it is clear that there will be more fatalities to come.

As one expert has stated earlier, the previous number of 15,000 deaths from the quake, is expected to tragically double.