Türkiye Earthquake: Pakistani team rescues boy from debris after 82 hours

LAHORE: A Pakistani team rescued a 16-year-old boy from building debris 82 hours after the powerful earthquake hit Adyıaman province of Türkiye, ARY News reported on Thursday.

In a statement, the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said that a 16-year-old boy was rescued by the Pakistan Urban Search and Rescue 1122 team 82 hours after the disastrous earthquake in Turkiye.

The UN-certified Pakistani rescue team is conducting technical search and rescue operations in six different collapsed buildings. The search and rescue operation is being led by Dr Rizwan Naseer, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson added that the team’s first priority is to search and rescue the people trapped under the rubble of the collapsed buildings.

The 51-member Urban Search and Rescue Team is part of the international response.

It is pertinent to mention here that the death toll from Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake is expected to rise sharply as rescue efforts pass the 72-hour mark that disaster experts consider the most likely period to save lives.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday conceded “shortcomings” after criticism of his government’s response to the earthquake, one of the deadliest this century.

Survivors have been left to scramble for food and shelter — and in some cases watch helplessly as their relatives called for rescue, and eventually went silent under the debris.

Still, rescuers kept pulling survivors from the debris as the death toll continued to rise.