Türkiye teenager who drank 'urine to survive' is rescued after 94 hours

Turkish rescuers have pulled out a teenager alive from the rubble of a building in southern Gaziantep province, a miracle recovery that came 94 hours after earthquakes which also saw the 17-year-old drinking his own "urine to survive."

Adnan Muhammet Korkut was rescued late on Thursday from the debris of an apartment in Sehitkamil district of Gaziantep, local media reported. 

In a viral social media video, Korkut tells rescuers he drank his own urine to survive and "waited for you people to come."

"I drank my own urine to survive and I survived thanks to my God," he says in the video responding to a question.

"I waited for you guys to come, and you came, thank God. I thank all of you."

Asked if he heard other sounds down there, he says he has a dog there, to which rescue members reply, "We will also look for the dog."

A strong earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye and neighbouring Syria in the early hours of Monday, devastating cities and killing and injuring thousands.

More than 21,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured as efforts continued for the fourth day in freezing conditions to save those still trapped under rubble.

Initial rescue efforts were hampered by a winter storm that covered major roads in ice and snow and left three key airports in the area inoperable, complicating deliveries of vital aid.

Some of the heaviest devastation occurred near the quake's epicentre between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, where entire city blocks lay in ruins.

READ MORE: Turks in US mobilise in large numbers to collect aid for quake victims

Heartrending scenes

Survivors are still being pulled from collapsed buildings, though disaster experts warn that the chances of saving lives drop sharply after 72 hours. 

Heartrending scenes of a newborn plucked alive from the rubble and a broken father clutching his dead daughter's hand have laid bare the human cost of the earthquake in both countries.

On Thursday, a group of Black Sea miners pulled out 16-year-old Melda Adtas alive from rubble in southern Hatay province, 80 hours after the earthquakes, leaving her overjoyed father in tears, with the crowd hugging, kissing and congratulating rescuers.

Before that, a six-month-old baby was pulled alive from the rubble of a building after 82 hours in southeastern Adiyaman province. 

Eight-year-old Besir Yildiz, was rescued by the search and rescue teams in southeastern Diyarbakir province 81 hours after earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria. 

READ MORE: Teary father celebrates daughter's rescue by Türkiye miners

'They tend to be younger people'

Experts say trapped people can survive in the rubble of an earthquake for a week or more, but it depends on their injuries, how they are trapped and weather conditions.

"Typically, it is rare to find survivors after the fifth to seventh days, and most search and rescue teams will consider stopping by then," said Dr Jarone Lee, an emergency and disaster medicine expert at Massachusetts General Hospital in US. 

"But, there are many stories of people surviving well past the seven-day mark. Unfortunately, these are usually rare and extraordinary cases."

"You see a lot of different scenarios where we've had some some really miraculous saves and people have survived under horrible conditions," said Dr Christopher Colwell, an emergency medicine specialists at the University of California, San Francisco.

"They tend to be younger people and and have been fortunate enough to find either a pocket in the rubble or some way to access needed elements like air and water."

People with traumatic injuries, including crush injuries and limb amputations, face the most critical survival window, said Dr George Chiampas, an emergency medicine specialist at Northwestern University's Feinberg medical school in US.

Mental state can also affect survival. People trapped next to bodies, who have no contact with other survivors or rescuers, may give up hope, Chiampas noted.

"If you have someone who is alive, you're leaning on each other to keep fighting," he said.

READ MORE: Baby, family of four pulled alive from debris 65 hours after Türkiye quakes