Miraculous rescue of 3-year-old Elif alive after 65 hours under rubble...

The image is poignant: in the midst of the crowd and chaos, a stretcher from which a small hand rises to grab the thumb of a rescuer. A few minutes earlier, 3-year-old Elif was found alive under the rubble of a building, after spending 65 hours there. The Turkish girl was trapped after the violent earthquake that hit western Turkey and the island of Samos, Greece, on Friday. In total, at least 70 people have lost their lives and rescuers, although they continue their search, are gradually losing hope of finding survivors.

But Monday morning, it is indeed alive, able to move and interact, that Elif Perinçek was discovered, while the CNN Turk channel, present to cover the drama, broadcast the images live. “Believe me, I can’t speak at the moment. We have been fighting for Elif, for our other citizens for three days. We found her with her eyes open. I hope she will live, ”Ahmet Yavuz, deputy director of the fire department, explained to the cameras. He then recounted how the little girl “squeezed the finger” of a rescuer, “our friend”. “His eyes were open, his arms were moving. I can’t describe this moment. We will never lose hope until we remove the last brick. All of our friends here are heroes. All teams are heroes. After seeing Elif’s smile, we couldn’t hold back our tears of happiness. All of our colleagues here write stories of heroism. All without food or drink, ”he added.

While she was live, journalist Sema Akbulut witnessed this miraculous rescue, during which everyone present began to applaud. “Elif was pulled from the rubble. Elif could be 3 years old. It is a great happiness here. We see all the teams kissing. Everyone has very moving moments. An intense effort has been made since day one. His grandmother and grandfather were there. They said: “We have lost hope but we will find our Elif” “.

“There was a smile in Elif’s eyes. Seeing her face and her smile, our friends were so happy. Because we found Elif. The family was upset, but I especially thank his father. His father helped us in every way and supported us. We hope that we will take out our other citizens in the same way, ”added the fire chief.

In tears in front of the cameras, Elif’s grandmother shared her happiness, thanking God for this miracle. “I have found Elif, his mother and his siblings will be together. My prayers are accepted, ”she said. Little Elif’s mother, Seher Dereli Perinçek, and her twin sisters, Elzem and Ezel, 10, were also rescued 23 hours after the earthquake. In contrast, the body of little Umut, 7, was found lifeless.

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