• A young girl was rescued by an Emirati team, along with her brother, sister and mother. All photos: Wam
    A young girl was rescued by an Emirati team, along with her brother, sister and mother. All photos: Wam
  • The Emirati search and rescue teams are part of Operation Gallant Knight/2
    The Emirati search and rescue teams are part of Operation Gallant Knight/2
  • The family was pulled from the rubble beneath what used to be their house
    The family was pulled from the rubble beneath what used to be their house
  • The rescue operation lasted more than five hours
    The rescue operation lasted more than five hours
  • The Emirati search and rescue teams are assisting in finding people trapped beneath the rubble
    The Emirati search and rescue teams are assisting in finding people trapped beneath the rubble
  • The boy rescued along with his two sisters and mother
    The boy rescued along with his two sisters and mother
  • Search and rescue teams from all over the world have rushed to assist after the earthquake
    Search and rescue teams from all over the world have rushed to assist after the earthquake
  • Since Monday, thousands of buildings have collapsed, many in the middle of the night, leaving people with little chance to escape
    Since Monday, thousands of buildings have collapsed, many in the middle of the night, leaving people with little chance to escape
  • As time goes on, the urgency of finding victims trapped under the rubble intensifies
    As time goes on, the urgency of finding victims trapped under the rubble intensifies

UAE

UAE team rescue Syrian family trapped under Turkey earthquake rubble

A mother was rescued along with her son and two daughters from what remained of their house

Sarah Forster
Sarah Forster

February 08, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Emirati search and rescue teams have pulled a Syrian family of four from the rubble in Turkey after earthquakes rocked the region this week.

Under Operation Gallant Knight/2, the team recovered a mother, her son and two daughters from what remained of their house.

The search focused on the Kahramanmaras area and took more than five hours to complete.

Medical teams rushed to attend to the injured family before they were transferred to a hospital in Turkey.

Friends and family of the rescued family were at the site where the house collapsed, according to state news agency Wam, which was with the Emirati rescue team at the time.

The rescue brought a rare moment of joy during a disaster that has so far killed more than 11,200 people.

Nearly 9,000 people have died in Turkey and tens of thousands have been injured by the earthquake in Gaziantep, according to figures from Afad, Turkey’s disaster and emergency authority.

The disaster is now the world's worst earthquake since a 9.1-magnitude tremor and tsunami struck Japan and South-East Asia in March 2011, killing nearly 20,000.

The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria now exceeds 11,000.

More than 900 buildings were damaged in the city of Gaziantep alone.

Aid collected in Dubai to be sent to earthquake victims: in pictures

  • Volunteers fill boxes at Homeward Bound, Al Quoz, Dubai, at in a collection point run by the Turkish consulate. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Volunteers fill boxes at Homeward Bound, Al Quoz, Dubai, at in a collection point run by the Turkish consulate. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The collection drive is being sponsored by Turkish Airlines
    The collection drive is being sponsored by Turkish Airlines
  • Members of the public delivered goods to the warehouse all day on Wednesday
    Members of the public delivered goods to the warehouse all day on Wednesday
  • Officials urged donors to bring warm clothing as temperatures plunge in southern Turkey
    Officials urged donors to bring warm clothing as temperatures plunge in southern Turkey
  • Hundreds, if not thousands, of people turned out to help over the course of the day
    Hundreds, if not thousands, of people turned out to help over the course of the day
  • Of particular concern to aid workers is the humanitarian crisis that will result from the earthquake
    Of particular concern to aid workers is the humanitarian crisis that will result from the earthquake
  • Volunteers packing aid boxes in Al Quoz, Dubai, for survivors of the earthquake
    Volunteers packing aid boxes in Al Quoz, Dubai, for survivors of the earthquake
On Women's Day
Updated: February 09, 2023, 5:09 AM
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