Turkey Earthquake: Mom Survives Under Rubble For Days With Newborn; Tried Drinking Own Breast Milk

A woman and her newborn son were trapped underneath for nearly four days before rescuers finally found them under a pile of rubble in the aftermath of the Turkey earthquake.

Just about 10 days had passed since Necla Camuz, 33, gave birth to her younger son Yagiz, which means "brave one." When the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country last week, Camuz was breastfeeding Yagiz in her family's second-floor apartment in Hatay province, reported the New York Post.

She felt her home shake and tried to make her way to her husband, who was in another room with their three-year-old son, Yigit Kerim, at the time.

"When the earthquake started, I wanted to go to my husband who was in the other room, and he wanted to do the same thing," Camuz told BBC. "But as he tried to come to me with our other son, the wardrobe fell onto them and it was impossible for them to move."

"As the earthquake got bigger, the wall fell, the room was shaking, and the building was changing position. When it stopped, I didn't realize that I had fallen one floor down. I shouted their names but there was no answer," she continued.

With the newborn in her arms, the mother found herself underneath the rubble and it was "pitch black." A fallen wardrobe had saved them from being crushed by a large concrete slab, Camuz recalled.

The solace was that Yagiz was still breathing, but the mom never imagined spending the first few days of her son's life in this manner.

"You plan lots of things when you have a new baby, and then... all of a sudden you're under rubble," she told the outlet.

There were moments when she could hear people's voices and she shouted for help.

"Is there anyone there? Can anyone hear me?" she remembered calling out.

She also picked up small pieces of rubble next to her and used them to strike the wardrobe, hoping someone might hear the sounds.

Camuz spent four days with no food or water before rescuers finally found her. She managed to breastfeed Yagiz and even tried to drink her own breast milk, but it did not work.

"Are you OK? Knock once for yes," someone called to her.

They dug into the ground and shone a torch at her before rescuing her and Yagiz.

Camuz was taken to a hospital. Her husband and their older son also survived the earthquake. They were at another hospital with leg injuries and were eventually reunited with Camuz and the newborn.

The mother said she survived the harrowing ordeal because of Yagiz.

"I think if my baby hadn't been strong enough to handle this, I wouldn't have been either," she told the outlet. "I'm very happy he's a newborn baby and won't remember anything."