Mom of baby Yagiz rescued after 90 hours: I owe my son my life

The mother of 10-day-old baby Yağız Ulaş, who was pulled from the rubble 90 hours after the earthquake in the Samandağ district of Hatay, told the British public broadcaster BBC of the hours of fear and anxiety she spent with her baby under the debris.

According to the news reported by the Turkish BBC, mother Necla Camuz did not believe she could survive the shipwreck with her second son Yağız, who was born on January 27, but her baby gave her hope.

Explaining that she was breastfeeding her baby during the earthquake, Necla Camuz said she lived on the second floor of a modern five-story apartment building in Samandag, saying: “It was a beautiful building.” Camuz described the moment of the earthquake with these words:

“When the earthquake started, I wanted to go to my wife in the other room and she wanted to come to me. But when I tried to come to me with my other son, the closet fell on them and they couldn’t move. As the quake intensified, the wall collapsed, the room shook, and the building shifted. When it stopped, I didn’t realize that we had collapsed one story below. I called them, but there was no answer.”

THE CLOSET SAVED LIVES

NECLA, 33, was found lying with her baby in her arms. The cabinet that fell next to him had saved their lives by keeping a large chunk of concrete from falling and crushing them.

Necla and her baby remained in this position for almost four days. Explaining that she was relieved when she realized that Yağız was still breathing in total darkness, the young mother said that at first she had difficulty breathing due to the dust, but then the dust passed and she did not feel cold under her. the debris.

Claiming that she could not feel or move anything other than a pile of concrete and rubble, Necla claimed that she could hear voices from afar and yelled for help. He was horrified,” she said.

Necla, who lost track of time under the rubble, said she managed to breastfeed her baby in that small space where she was trapped, and tried to drink her own milk because there was no food or water within her reach, but she couldn’t.

WAKE UP, CELEBRATE BABY

Determined to remain silent and not waste her energy until the sounds from outside drew closer, the young woman thought constantly of her family, the baby at her breast and the husband and son she had lost in the rubble.

Necla thought she would not be able to get out of the rubble, but Yağız’s presence gave her reason to hope. Yagiz slept most of the time, and when she woke up crying, Necla quietly nursed her baby until she calmed down.

After spending more than 90 hours under the rubble, Necla heard dogs barking. She wondered if she was dreaming. After the barking, voices began to come.

While holding Yağız in his arms, the rescuers began to carefully dig. The rescue team of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department managed to pull Necla and her baby from the rubble 90 minutes after the earthquake.

Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, shared the rescue of Yağız and his mother on his Twitter account.

After Necla handed Yağız over to rescuers, they carried her on a stretcher in a large crowd. As she was carried to the ambulance, she tried to find out if her other child could also be saved.

HIS WIFE AND ANOTHER CHILD AT THE HOSPITAL

When Necla arrived at the hospital, she was received by her relatives. She was told that her wife of six years, İrfan, and her three-year-old son, Yiğit Kerim, were also pulled from the rubble. The Camuz family finally came together, albeit over the phone.

But they were taken to a hospital in Adana due to severe injuries to their legs and feet. Necla and Yağız did not suffer serious injuries. They were kept under observation for 24 hours and discharged.

NECLA no longer has a home to return to. However, one of his family took him to a blue tent made of wood and canvas. A total of 13 people, all of whom lost their homes.

Necla is trying to cope with what happened and says that she owes Yağız her life. “If my baby wasn’t strong enough to handle it, neither would I,” she says.

Her dream for her son is to never have such experiences again. “I’m glad my son doesn’t remember any of them,” she says.