Bulgarian Cave Rescuers Help Save Survivor in Antakya 135 Hours after Quake

Jerusalem, 12 February, 2023 (TPS) -- 12.02.2023 (BTA)
Late Saturday afternoon, more than 135 hours after the devastating earthquake in Turkiye, cave rescuers from Bulgaria helped pull a woman alive out of debris in the center of Antakya, Cave Rescue Bulgaria said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Several days ago, 20 Cave Rescue volunteers, including a doctor and a medic, along with Pazardjik Region Mountain Rescue volunteers, left for the disaster area as a second team organized by the National Association of Volunteers in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAVB). The first NAVB team departed for Turkiye on February 7.

After the woman in Antakya was heard calling for help, the Cave Rescue volunteers crawled through narrow cavities and around collapsed concrete slabs to localize the survivor. She was then successfully rescued by teams using heavy machinery.

Cave Rescue Bulgaria is a voluntary, independent and non-political organization affiliated to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).