People can survive in the rubble of an earthquake for up to a week or more, depending on their injuries, how they were trapped and weather conditions, experts say.
Search teams from around the world have joined local emergency services in Turkey and Syria to search for victims of this week’s devastating earthquake that killed thousands.
Dr. Jarone Lee, an expert in emergency and disaster medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that while it is rare to find survivors after a week, “there are many stories of people who survived the seven days.”
People who stick with others are more likely to survive, as are those who are younger and without pre-existing conditions.
A rescue worker digs under the rubble of a collapsed building in the rebel-held town of Jindayris to reach children on February 8, 2023, two days after a deadly earthquake struck Turkey and Syria.
A man is pulled from the rubble 65 hours after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck several provinces including Kahramanmaras, Turkey
DR. Lee said: “Finding survivors after the fifth to seventh day is usually rare and most search and rescue teams will consider stopping by then.
“But there are many stories of people who have survived well past the seven-day mark. Unfortunately, these are usually rare and exceptional cases.”
Dr. George Chiampas, an emergency medicine specialist at Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School, said people with traumatic injuries, including contusions and limb amputations, have the most critical window of survival.
He said: “If you don’t get them out within an hour, in this golden hour, the chances of survival are very slim.”
People with pre-existing medical conditions or drug abusers also face poor odds, said Dr. Chiampas added. Age, physical and mental condition are important.
Dr. Christopher Colwell, an emergency medicine specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “You see a lot of different scenarios where we’ve had some really miraculous rescues and people have survived in dire conditions.
“They are mostly younger people and were lucky enough to find a pocket in the rubble or a way to access necessary elements like air and water.”
After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a teenager and his 80-year-old grandmother were found alive in their destroyed home nine days later.
A year earlier, a 16-year-old Haitian girl was rescued from the rubble of an earthquake in Port-Au-Prince after 15 days.
Mental health can also affect survival. People who are trapped next to dead bodies without contact with other survivors or rescuers can lose hope, Dr. Chiampas.
He added: “When you have someone alive, you lean on each other to keep fighting.”
More than 12,000 people were killed and thousands injured in the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6.
A large part of the city center was destroyed by the 7.8 earthquake. Multi-story buildings collapsed, trapping thousands of people.
Substantial rescue teams worked through the night in Turkey and Syria, continuing to search for survivors trapped in the rubble of thousands of buildings.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
