“We are searching for my niece, Rukiye,” a tired-looking man with bloodshot eyes told local reporters as he peered through the twisted remains of a hospital in the southern Turkish province of Hatay on Wednesday.
“She is 23, a nurse. She entered the hospital hours after the first earthquake to help evacuate patients. The building collapsed on her when the second earthquake hit. She saved so many, but couldn’t get out herself. We know she was alive for at least 16 hours – she called her husband from under the rubble. But now the rescuers say she is likely gone.”
