Turkey Earthquake: Rescuers Pull Out Three-Year-Old Alive After Being Trapped for 65 Hours Under Rubble

In the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that jolted Turkey on Friday, a three-year-old kid was rescued alive by authorities under the ruins of an apartment building that collapsed in Izmir, Turkey.

Authorities identified the child as Elif Perincek. The young girl was rescued on Monday after more than 65 hours since the earthquake hit and devastated the country.

In a statement by Fahrettin Koca, health minister of Turkey, he said that the child's mother, along with two others, was rescued in earlier attempts. However, he noted that one of the siblings, seven-year-old Umut Perincek, did not survive the tragedy.

The news of Perincek's rescue followed the earlier discovery of another child who was found alive under the rubble. The said child was also brought to safety by teams deployed for the search and rescue operations, CNN reported.

The child was identified as Idil Sirin, a 14-year-old who was reported to have spent more than 58 hours under the collapsed building, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

Sirin's rescue was recorded on the phone by one of the onlookers. Dozens of people who witnessed the rescue cheered in the background as the teenager was pulled out from the wreckage. The girl was given first aid at the scene of the incident before she was brought to a local hospital in Anadolu for further treatment.

Moreover, a 16-year-old named Inci Okan was also rescued in the same building where Sirin was found. Okan was reportedly trapped under the eight-story building for at least 17 hours with her pet dog.

The earthquake that hit the Aegean sea took dozens of lives and injured many people as it shook Turkey and Greece. The quake was recorded at magnitude 7.0 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

According to the USGS, the earthquake struck at 8.7 miles northeast of Néon Karlovásion on Samos Island. It was also noted that it was relatively shallow with a depth running only 13 miles below the ground, causing it to have more impact on the surface.

According to The Sun, based on the information from local authorities, the earthquake took down many buildings. According to Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer, the quake damaged at least 20 buildings in Izmir alone, most of them in Bayrakli, which is considered a middle-class district.

A series of aftershocks followed the quake. The USGS and the disaster agency of Turkey recorded more than 900 aftershocks, with 42 of them being over magnitude 4.0.

Authorities also noted that the earthquake also triggered a "mini tsunami," which was expected since the epicenter was in the middle of the ocean. The mini tsunamis caused flooding in the streets of Izmir Province in Turkey and also on Samos Island, Today reported.

As of the moment, authorities are still holding search and rescue operations to verify if there are still others trapped under collapsed buildings after the damaging earthquake.

Turkish officials have already reported more than 900 injuries and 64 deaths due to the tragedy so far.