ANKARA: A 19-year-old university student who survived the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkiye on Monday has told Arab News that the disaster serves as a reminder to enjoy every moment in life.

Mert Sahin was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building after 35 hours by a team of specialists, and after hearing the voice of his uncle and using his cellphone to reveal his location.

The team was provided the necessary equipment from local shops, including generators, diggers and concrete breakers.

Sahin lost his grandfather and grandmother in the disaster as he was staying in their home in Antakya, which was on the second floor of an old five-story building.

He was awake when the earthquake struck the region, watching an Amazon Prime series on his phone, which meant he stayed alert and attempted to wake up others in the house, he told Arab News.

He waited for the quake to finish by lying on the bed.

He said: “This earthquake reminded me once again that helping people, enjoying every moment in life, and respecting others are the greatest virtues in the world.”

Sahin had to undergo treatment in the intensive care unit of the Mustafa Kemal Research Hospital in Hatay.

He said: “We had to wait a long time before an ambulance came because no vehicle could enter the city because of the destroyed roads and collapsed buildings on the avenues.”

Sahin, a student of mechanical engineering at Yildiz Technical University, had traveled to Antakya to attend the funeral of a relative, and was planning to return to Izmir on Tuesday.

His waist was crushed by a stone column and he suffered spine damage when the building collapsed.

He said: “Yesterday I began moving my right foot; now it is the turn of my left.

“I’m aware of how much we should care for our health and life. We should stick with each other, life is so short and unpredictable.

“I’m thankful to everyone who took care of my health and the messages from social media, even though they don’t know me at all. It is so precious.”

Sahin has pledged to keep the memories alive of his loved ones who perished in the earthquake.

He also urged authorities to provide opportunities in the wake of the disaster to trained engineers around the country to help rebuild the region.

Several local people told Arab News that Antakya and Hatay were “finished” following the collapse of buildings on Monday, and amid the earthquakes which have killed more than 22,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the quake as the “disaster of the century,” and has said that the authorities’ response was not as quick as the government expected.

Some 80 countries from around the world have so far sent humanitarian aid and financial assistance to Turkiye.

The US has announced that it will provide $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to both Turkiye and Syria.

US European Command has also begun to coordinate relief, medical, and water supplies from Incirlik Air Base to support Turkiye’s rescue efforts, while one of the country’s aircraft carriers has been positioned closer to the country in case it is required.

The heroic efforts of national and international teams have brought hope to anxious citizens, but hypothermia and cold weather conditions remain a big concern.

Rescue efforts are now concentrating on wreckage from which any noise can be heard. A mother and her 10-day-old baby were saved on Friday after four days of being trapped in rubble.