Turkey-Syria earthquake: Emirati rescue team saves two young men trapped in rubble for nine days

Abu Dhabi: The UAE rescue team has pulled two young men alive from the rubble of a building in Kahramanmaras in Turkey nine days after Monday's deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.

The two men are 19 and 21 years old, respectively, and were rescued nine days after they were buried under the rubble following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.

Al Hammadi noted that the area is being surveyed by the police dog Unit (k9) of the Belarusian team, followed by another survey of the area by the Emirati team (k9) to ensure there are no other survivors.

He indicated that there is still hope of finding survivors.

He also pointed out that the rescue and search teams’ efforts have contributed to saving many lives during the past few days.

Death Toll

The disaster, with a combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria exceeding 37,000, has ravaged cities in both countries, leaving many survivors homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures.

The team is working in the earthquake-hit areas as part of the "Gallant Knight 2” operation launched by the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Operations Command in cooperation with a French Rescue team, in saving two people in Kahramanmaras.

The team continues its search and rescue efforts in both southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria in search of survivors.

Watch: UAE team rescues 11-year old child, man in daring operation

Earlier on Friday rescued two individuals who were stuck under the rubble of a building that collapsed following the recent earthquake in Turkey.

The first to be rescued was an 11-year-old child while the second was a man believed to be between the ages of 50 and 60 of Turkish nationality.

With efficient teamwork, the search and rescue mission was carried out in the Kahramanmaraş region and concluded with success. They were trapped under the rubble for nearly 120 hours.