Hauptmannarzt Stefan Schachner, an army surgeon, saved the life of a buried man on the first day of operations in Turkey. But because he was trapped under a concrete ceiling, his arm had to be amputated. In total, the disaster unit sent by Austria was able to save three people. So far there have been 12,873 deaths in Turkey’s earthquake zone and 3,162 in Syria.
Three days after the devastating earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area, the death toll has risen to more than 16,000. Survivors’ hopes are fading. Nevertheless, survivors are repeatedly pulled from the rubble – yesterday, among others, by troops of the Austrian armed forces.
Burgenlander celebrated as a hero
Stefan Schachner from Burgenland, who normally works at the Ost Medical Center, saved a man’s life with an emergency operation by amputating his arm. The man was trapped under a concrete floor. Schachner coordinated further medical use with local forces.
In Turkey, there are now 12,873 confirmed dead and 62,937 injured, according to Turkey’s civil protection authority Afad Thursday night. In Syria, the earthquake killed 3,162 people. The affected areas were initially difficult to reach, but as the rescue work progressed, the number of casualties increased.
Rescuers fight against time
With every hour that has passed since the earthquake, the chance of finding survivors under the rubble decreases. According to the government, more than 100,000 helpers are deployed in Turkey in freezing temperatures. They are assisted by sniffer dogs. The critical survival limit for buried subjects is typically 72 hours.
Touch thousands of individual destinies
Survivor rescues are often accompanied by heartbreaking images. Like this short video of a girl lovingly protecting her younger sibling’s head for 17 hours. Or the shot of a father who wouldn’t let go of his buried daughter’s hand (see photo above). Individual destinies that touch each other. A small miracle happened in a hospital in northern Syria. There a baby was born in the rubble – and he survived.
With a magnitude of 7.7 to 7.8, the quake shook the area on the border between Turkey and Syria early Monday morning. Another magnitude 7.5 earthquake followed in the same region on Monday afternoon. Thousands of buildings collapsed.
“Deficits” in crisis management
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted on Wednesday that there were “deficiencies” in crisis management after the disaster. However, while visiting two particularly affected regions, he also said it was not possible “to be prepared for such an earthquake”. He rejected criticism from the ranks of the opposition.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
