Turkey quake: Trapped toddler reaches out for rescuer’s thumb; rescued after 65 hours

A wounded three-year-old girl has been saved by rescue workers after being trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building for 65 hours, following the devastating earthquake in Turkey.

The child, identified by authorities as Elif Perincek, was trapped under the debris inn Izmir. Her mother and twin sisters, who were also present at the house when the quake struck, were rescued earlier. When firefighter Muammer Celik found her on Monday, she was lying motionless. A body bag was brought, but as Celik extended his arm to wipe her face, the child abruptly opened her eyes and grabbed his thumb.

“That’s where we saw a miracle,” said the firefighter, recounting the rescue search. He further told the media that the little girl was holding his thumb tightly until he brought her to safety.

The video on Turkish television shows the rescue workers carrying the little girl to the ambulance, wrapped in a foil blanket.

Elif was the 106th person to be rescued from the rubble and was taken to hospital.

According to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, the little girl is not suffering from any serious injury and is being monitored in intensive care.

Another miraculous case was when 4-year-old Ayda, who was trapped for 91 hours under a collapsed building, was also rescued in Izmir city.

As of Tuesday, the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Turkey had officially claimed at least 102 lives. Almost 994 more were injured, and dozens of people were still missing. According to the local rescue agencies, search and rescue efforts are still underway to reach survivors trapped under the rubble.