Guwahati: Rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria are underway after a powerful earthquake struck the region on Monday, claiming the lives of over 21,000 people and leaving thousands more injured.
In one heartbreaking story, a 17-year-old survivor has revealed he drank his own urine and ate flowers in order to stay alive during his 94-hour ordeal trapped beneath the rubble.
Adnan Muhammet Korkut told ABC News that he was asleep in his family’s home when the earthquake hit, and he then “got into the fetal position” to protect himself.
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To survive, Korkut said he drank his own urine and “ate his family’s flowers.”
He also set his phone’s alarm to go off every 25 minutes to keep himself awake, though the battery died after two days.
Korkut was eventually rescued after four days, but was worried that he may be trampled in the process.
He said, “Thank you to the people who came and saved me.”
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Another two-year-old boy was also rescued after 79 hours, with a video from Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation showing rescue workers looking into a narrow opening in the debris of a building in Antakya and pulling out the boy as he wept. He was later handed over to health workers.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of support from around the world, as individuals and organisations continue to donate money and supplies to aid in the relief effort.