Turkey Earthquake: How long a person can survive under rubble; what role does mental condition play in this?

Turkey-Syria Earthquake:It’s been three days since the devastating series of earthquakes jolted Turkey and Syria. The death toll has reached more than 15,000 now and is expected to go above 20,000 as search and rescue operations are still going on. Most of the victims are found in the debris of shattered buildings. Many countries like Japan, Britain, India, the US, Germany and others have sent their search teams to quake-hit countries for help and assistance.

During these search and rescue operations, many people have been pulled out of the rubble alive since the disaster took place, however, the question arises of how long people can survive in the rubble of an earthquake. Experts predicted the possibility of survival for up to a week or even more, depending upon the injuries and weather conditions.

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Most rescue operations are conducted within the first 24 hours after a disaster. After that, the chances of survival are dropped as each day passes. Many victims succumbed to injuries caused by falling stones or other debris. Along with injuries, access to water, air to breathe and weather also play a crucial rolein the survival of the victim.

Temperatures in Turkey, specifically in the quake-stricken city of Gaziantep, plunged to minus five degrees Celsius early Thursday and thousands of families spent their night in cars and makeshift tents. Some were too scared to go out and some were banned to return to their homes.

An emergency and disaster medicine expert at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr Jarone Lee, said, “It is rare to find survivors after the fifth to seventh days, and most search and rescue teams will consider stopping by then. But, there are many stories of people surviving well past the seven-day mark. Unfortunately, these are usually rare and extraordinary cases”.

People who suffer from traumatic injuries like crush injuries or limb amputations are more likely to face survive through the critical window.

Dr George Chiampas, an emergency medicine specialist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg medical school, said, “If you don’t pull them out in one hour, in that golden hour, there’s really a very low chance of survival. Those with other illnesses, whose health depends on medications, also face grim chances”.

Experts also believe that the age and physical and medical condition of the victim is also important factors for the survival of people stuck under the debris of an earthquake. Generally, younger people are able to survive under these conditions.

Experts also said that the mental state of a person also affects his survival. People trapped next to bodied who have no contact with other survivors or rescuers may give up hope and succumb to mental trauma. Chiampas added, “If you have someone who is alive, you’re leaning on each other to keep fighting”.

This Monday, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 centred in the Pazarcik district jolted Kahramanmaras and hit several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.

The earthquake was also felt in several neighbouring countries, including Lebanon and Syria. The third earthquake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Goksun, Turkey. The countries were then hit by two more earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and 5.7 on Tuesday.

Rescue operations are still going on in the two countries and the death toll is likely to rise as more and more victims will be pulled out of the rubble.