Millions of children and their families were affected by the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
A photo of a father holding the hand of his teenage daughter who died trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in Turkey’s Kahramanmaras region captured the scale of suffering caused by Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks.
Sitting amid the rubble, Mesut Hancer held the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, who was all that was visible beneath the concrete slabs piled above her lifeless body. Nearby, rescuers were going through the rubble by hand.
It is just one of a series of harrowing images that have emerged of some of the millions of children affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which was followed by a second 7.6-magnitude quake hours later and more than 100 aftershocks.
Rescue efforts are underway, with moments of hope amidst the disaster.
A one-year-old baby was found alive on Wednesday in the Turkish province of Sanliurfa after spending 53 hours trapped under a collapsed five-story building, reports the Turkish Anadolu Agency.
A one-year-old baby was miraculously saved 53 hours after the earthquakes that hit southern Turkey
🕙 2 days have passed. No food, no drink
🚼 The kid is from SE Sanliurfa province
🏚️ Saved from under a five-story building https://t.co/Pybe6lU8ec pic.twitter.com/eoiDEB4QFO— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 8, 2023
A mother and her two-year-old daughter were rescued in Iskenderun almost 44 hours after the first earthquake hit Hatay province, which was among the hardest hit.
In the southeastern province of Adiyaman, a child was rescued from the rubble, and shortly after, her mother was also airlifted to safety.
In the northwestern Syrian town of Jinderis, rescuers discovered a crying child whose mother appeared to have given birth while buried under the rubble. The newborn was still connected by the umbilical cord to his mother, Afraa Abu Hadiya, who died.
The girl was brought to a children’s hospital in the city of Afrin, in the province of Aleppo.
In the same city, a White Helmet rescue team pulled a young girl alive from under the rubble of her home.
Moments of hope in the midst of disaster. Our teams managed to rescue Jana alive under the ruins of her house in the town of Jenderes, north of #Aleppoyesterday, Tuesday, February 7, after a violent #earthquake which hit the NW #Syria at dawn on Monday February 6. pic.twitter.com/VhnJPqaYN5
— White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 7, 2023
UNICEF said the images of so many children affected by the disaster were “heartbreaking”.
“Having the initial quake so early in the morning, when many children were fast asleep, made it even more dangerous, and aftershocks bring ongoing risks,” said chief executive Catherine Russell.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with the affected children and families, especially those who have lost loved ones or who have been injured. Our immediate priority is to ensure that the affected children and families receive the support they so desperately need.”
Damage to schools, hospitals and other medical and educational facilities is likely to further affect children’s lives, the organization said.
Children in Syria continue to face one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world, after more than a decade of conflict and a worsening economic crisis.
Water-borne diseases, including the resurgence of cholera, leave children in a particularly vulnerable state, UNICEF said.