2 brothers who were trapped under rubble in the Turkey earthquake survived for more than a week by drinking their own urine and eating protein powder
Hopes for survivors trapped in the rubble have dwindled a week into search-and-rescue operations. The earthquake's death toll has exceeded 41,000.
www.insider.com
Brothers Survived Under Rubble for 200 Hours on Protein Powder, Urine
archived 18 Feb 2023 00:46:14 UTC
- Two brothers were pulled out of the rubble 200 hours after the Turkey-Syria earthquake hit.
- The pair survived on protein powder and drinking their own urine, per The New York Times.
- The death toll from the earthquake has now exceeded 41,000.
Two brothers in Turkey's Kahramanmaras city survived for more than 200 hours under the rubble of the Turkey-Syria earthquake by eating protein powder and drinking their own urine.
The New York Times reported that Abdulbaki Yeninar, 21, and his brother Muhammed Enes Yeninar, 17, were pulled out from under the twisted metal and concrete of their collapsed apartment block on Tuesday.
The chances of survival for most people still trapped in the rubble are low — experts estimate that people may be able to survive for up to a week, depending on their injuries. The death toll from the earthquake has exceeded 41,000.
The brothers were trapped under the rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 at 4:17 a.m. local time.
The brothers rationed body-building supplements between themselves and drank their own urine to survive, The Times reported. A local news publication, Ihlas News Agency, filmed the two being wheeled into a hospital on stretchers, with oxygen masks on.
The media outlet reported that the boys were in good condition. "I was very comfortable. I knew I would be saved. I just prayed," Abdulbaki Yeninar told the Ihlas News Agency.
The Yeninar brothers' mother was rescued from the rubble two days before them and brought to a hospital in the nearby city of Kayseri, per the Ihlas News Agency.
A Syrian man and a young woman were also rescued from the rubble in the Turkish city of Antakya on Tuesday, CNBC reported.
People who have been rescued are in desperate need of international humanitarian aid, according to the World Health Organization.
"The needs are huge, increasing by the hour," Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's director for Europe, said in a press briefing on Tuesday. "Some 26 million people across both countries need humanitarian assistance."
He added: "There are also growing concerns over emerging health issues linked to the cold weather, hygiene and sanitation, and the spread of infectious diseases — with vulnerable people especially at risk."
