Two brothers, Muhammed Akar and Omer, aged 9 and 7 months respectively, were rescued this Wednesday from the rubble of their home in Şanlıurfa province, Turkey, after an earthquake shook the country. They were trapped for 58 hours, alone. They lived in the building with their family, whose whereabouts are unknown.
This story with a happy ending is joined by others, such as the case of a Syrian baby born amid the rubble, a boy hanging on a rooftop praying, and two sisters stuck in concrete. All of these stories of successful rescues involve children who managed to survive the catastrophe that hit Turkey and Syria. Many consider them a miracle, but the recorded cases of the survival of children are quite justified: the size and flexibility, especially the smallest.
Joaquim Leonardo, commander of the Algheiran-Mem Martins fire department, explains morning Post that the fact that many babies and children escape alive from the rubble is due to its size and malleability. “They have an advantage because they are smaller and fit between the debris,” he said.
The Commander also notes that rescuing children is easier because usually “they are not able to understand what is happening and are not in a state of shock.” Apart from this factor, another benefit of rescuing infants and children is that they are less prone to fracture as their bones are more flexible.